ADL takes flak for failing to tie bigotry at Madison Square Garden rally to Trump
The longtime organization to combat antisemitism was also quiet on Trump’s recently resurfaced remarks on Hitler
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden Oct. 27 in New York City. Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
By Jacob Kornbluh October 29, 2024
The Anti-Defamation League joined in the criticism after former President Donald Trump’s campaign rally at Madison Square Garden Sunday, which featured virulent anti-immigrant rhetoric and a comedian who targeted minority groups.
But now the ADL is itself the target of criticism for failing to call out the rally as a Trump event.
Instead it described in a post on the social platform X (formerly Twitter) the hours-long tribute to Trump as a “political rally,” making no mention of the former president.
Political rallies should be about politics and policy, not offensive jokes that denigrate Jews, Palestinians, Puerto Ricans, and other marginalized groups. In a moment when hate has surged and when tensions are high, there’s no place for bigotry or intolerance on the campaign…
— ADL (@ADL) October 28, 2024
The ADL responded to the criticism of its criticism with a statement Tuesday:
“ADL clearly condemned the Trump Madison Square Garden rally and the antisemitic, racist, and bigoted comments that occurred while also linking to an article with more details.” That article is a Washington Post piece headlined: “Trump rally speakers lob racist insults, call Puerto Rico ‘island of garbage.’”
“Additionally, we would refer to our track record on speaking out in recent months and over the years,” the ADL statement continued. The group has condemned Trump on numerous occasions, including over his remarks blaming Jews for a potential election loss.
The ADL’s post on the rally, made Monday morning, angered notable Jewish and non-Jewish leaders and organizations, some of whom said the omission seemed a deliberate attempt to avoid riling Trump.
“This was a Trump rally. This violent, bigoted rhetoric is part and parcel of his MAGA movement and must be called out directly,” posted J Street, the liberal, pro-Israel lobby. “Organizations that claim to represent Jews and combat antisemitism *must* be willing to name and condemn the leaders of this hate-fueled movement.”
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, posted: “@ADL – it was a Trump rally.”
Abe Foxman, who led the ADL for four decades, criticized current ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt: “I’m reluctant to criticize my successor, but, hello, he went after this guy on CNN yesterday, and couldn’t mention Trump, it’s a little bizarre.”
And the ADL’s vague description of the rally also prompted Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the leader of the left-leaning “Squad” in Congress, to accuse the ADL, one of the most prominent Jewish groups in the nation, of a double standard.
“The way this organization consistently bends over backwards to mollify Trump yet always finds a way to call out the only Palestinian in Congress by name sends its message loud and clear,” posted Ocasio-Cortez. “And it isn’t one of integrity. Really sad to see.”
The rally, and the ADL’s response to it, come days after John Kelly, a former Marine Corps general and Trump’s longest-serving chief of staff, said the former president praised Adolf Hitler while in office. Then too the ADL was criticized for failing to call out Trump, a Republican, who is locked in a tight race for president with Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat.
A group of Israeli American activists are expected to protest outside ADL headquarters in Midtown Manhattan on Thursday, and demand that its leader, Jonathan Greenblatt, “condemn the presidential candidate who sympathizes with Hitler.” The group, NYC 4 Kaplan, originally formed as part of the movement against Israel’s judicial overhaul.
Shai Wosner, an Israeli American pianist and the son of two holocaust survivors, said he reached out to the ADL a week ago over its lack of a response to Kelly’s comments, and hasn’t heard back. He said the group’s post about the Madison Square Garden rally also troubled him.
“When racist language was used proudly, out in the open in the rally at Madison Square Garden there seemed to be an attempt to bend over backwards and keep a veneer of neutrality,” he said. “As if Kamala Harris’ surrogates also like to insult minorities in their rallies.”
JTA contributed to this report.
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