This week, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is hosting its annual Never Is Now summit in New York City. But behind the polished speeches and corporate sponsorships, the truth is harder to stomach: the ADL has long abandoned its stated mission of securing justice and fair treatment for all. Instead, it shields Israel from criticism over its decades-long oppression of the Palestinian people and dangerously conflate that critique with antisemitism, while giving cover to right-wing extremists.
Historically, the ADL has positioned itself as a leader in civil rights, partnering with schools, corporations, and lawmakers to shape policies and educational programs. But as a former ADL education director in Austin, Texas, I saw firsthand how the organization has weaponized its influence and quietly stepped away from commitments to justice.
The ADL’s No Place for Hate program was considered a gold standard for anti-bullying education for decades. I believed in it. I worked with students, teachers, and administrators across schools and districts to address hate and bullying.
But while I was teaching students to stand up to hate, the organization was doing the opposite.
I watched from the inside as the ADL erased racial justice from its civil rights priorities, caved to pressure from conservative media for being “too woke,” and quietly abandoned core education programs. The shift began with an internal pause on its use of the word “racism” while it sought a “new” definition (spoiler: they still don’t have one). Then, it removed “racial justice” from its portfolio altogether.
Rather than expand anti-bias education, it shut down a decades-old initiative that helped students challenge discrimination. Then, it removed more than 100 lesson plans that helped educators address bias against LGBTQ, Muslim, and immigrant students.
In fall 2023, I was leading an intervention at a middle school after a student had been flashing the Nazi salute in the hallways. The school took it seriously — because that’s what we’d taught: don’t normalize hate.
But in January, when Elon Musk made a Nazi salute in front of millions? The ADL told the public to “take a breath.”
This came just months after the ADL resumed advertising on X, despite previously condemning the platform for spreading hate speech. This selective application of values was also made clear as I watched the ADL’s response to the unfolding crisis in Gaza.
I was an ADL employee when Oct. 7 happened. The attack on Israeli civilians was horrifying, but Israel’s response — one of the deadliest military assaults in history — has killed at least 48,000 Palestinians, systematically destroyed Gaza’s schools, hospitals, and food and water supplies, and deliberately starved an entire population.
I taught students how unchecked bias escalates into violence, even genocide. I stood in classrooms explaining the Pyramid of Hate, helping educators understand how small acts of bias, when left unchallenged, can fuel mass atrocities.
Yet, when human rights groups and legal experts accused Israel of genocide, ADL dismissed them, smeared human rights organizations, silenced Jewish and Palestinian voices calling for a ceasefire, and shielded Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government from accountability.
Weaponizing antisemitism for political purposes doesn’t make Jewish communities safer — it makes them more vulnerable. By treating criticism of Israel as a threat while excusing white supremacists and hate groups, the ADL undermines the fight against antisemitism.
I told myself I could push for change from within alongside colleagues. But when the ADL honored Jared Kushner, a man whose support for his father-in-law fueled hate, emboldened white nationalists, and helped the cruel family separation policy, I knew I couldn’t stay.
Then, watching them excuse Musk’s Nazi salute, I realized leaving hadn’t been enough. I had to speak out.
An organization that picks and chooses when to fight hate cannot be trusted to lead anti-bullying education. With President Trump mainstreaming bigotry and attacking education, we cannot let anti-hate efforts be led by an institution that has abandoned its own principles. Fighting antisemitism, Islamophobia, and all oppression must be a shared fight, not a selective one. Our communities deserve better than lessons from an institution that prioritizes power over justice.
Bryant is a former ADL education director, classroom teacher, and school administrator, currently a human rights commissioner for the city of Austin, Texas, pursuing a Ph.D. in educational and community leadership.