ADL International Affairs Top 10 Notable Accomplishments in 2019

March 09, 2020

2019 was a significant year for ADL’s international engagement, furthering our work fighting global antisemitism and hate, combatting delegitimization of Israel, and promoting a secure Jewish and democratic Israel at peace with her neighbors. ADL’s international action included the release of groundbreaking research and reports, high-level appearances by ADL experts, and advocacy and programs furthering our global priorities.  

Topping the list of reports was the release of new data in our signature G100 index of global antisemitic attitudes, with new 2019 results from 18 countries across the world. We also released a groundbreaking report, in partnership with 5 European research institutes, examining the connections between white supremacists in the U.S. and those in Europe and Canada. This research and data were widely shared, including in a series of testimonies before congressional committees by Sharon Nazarian, SVP for International Affairs.

Here is the full list of ADL International Affairs top 10 notable accomplishments in 2019:

1. ADL Global 100 Index

In November, ADL updated its ADL Global 100: An Index of Anti-Semitism with a more focused survey including 14 European countries plus four other countries with significant Jewish populations: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, and South Africa. Among its findings, ADL observed one in four Europeans polled harbor pernicious and pervasive attitudes toward Jews.  This data was shared with, and utilized extensively by, media, governments, Jewish communities, NGOs, and researchers.  

2. Hate Beyond Borders: The Internationalization of White Supremacy

In September, ADL released Hate Beyond Borders: The Internationalization of White Supremacy, a landmark report highlighting the connections between American white supremacists and those in Europe. ADL’s International Affairs and the Center on Extremism collaborated with researchers in Germany, France, UK, Poland, and Sweden to document the connections and offer policy recommendations for governments and social media platforms to counter international white supremacy’s rise as a global threat.

3. Empowering European Jewish Students to Fight Antisemitism 

ADL signed an MOU and partnered with the European Union of Jewish Students (EUJS) to adapt ADL’s Words to Action workshops to address the needs of students from across Europe.  In August, ADL delivered a Words to Action trainings pilot at the EUJS “Summer U” event in Spain, and ADL began a train the trainer process in order to bring Words To Action to dozens of countries in 2020, training Jewish university student leaders to combat Antisemitism and anti-Israel rhetoric in their communities.

4. #DenunciaElOdio

In June, as part of Phase 2 of our Memorandum of Understanding with the Mexican Government, ADL launched “#DenunciaElOdio,” a hate crimes awareness campaign via radio, print, television interviews, and social media. In 2017, ADL signed the initial MOU with the Mexican Government to conduct anti-bias trainings in 50 Mexican consular offices in the U.S. and has educated over 2,000 Mexican consular staff and community leaders on hate crimes, bullying, cyberbullying, and anti-immigrant extremism.

5.  Consultation on Cyberhate with Global Jewish Leaders

In November, global Jewish community leaders joined ADL experts in New York for a dialogue on cyberhate and extremism. Representatives of Latin America, Europe, South Africa, and Canada held discussions with Facebook and Google policy executives and ADL Center on Extremism and the Center for Technology and Society experts, discussing issues of online hate and ways to combat it.

6.  Abu Dhabi Interfaith Gathering

In December, ADL's Director of Interreligious Engagement Rabbi David Sandmel, ADL's Senior Vice President for Programs George Selim, and ADL's Washington Director for International Affairs David Weinberg traveled to Abu Dhabi to participate in an historic interfaith gathering launching a new charter on Muslim-Christian-Jewish tolerance and solidarity. ADL also visited the local Jewish community in Dubai and met with UAE government officials to raise awareness about the importance of fighting Antisemitism.

7.  Third Annual Israel Social Cohesion Summit

In November, ADL Israel held its third annual Israel Social Cohesion Summit, gathering leaders from across Israel’s diverse communities to discuss challenges facing a divided Israeli society. High-level speakers included MK Benny Gantz, Blue and White Chairman, MK Ayelet Shaked, Chair of the New Right party, and MK Moshe Gafni, Chair of Degel HaTorah party among others. Panel topics included the integration of Israel’s Arab citizens, protests in Israeli society, and holding gender-separated events in the public sphere.  The summit was attended by ADL’s top US leadership, who, while in Israel, also met with entrepreneurs, representatives of various minority groups, political and security officials, including the President of the State of Israel, Reuven Rivlin; ultra-Orthodox and Palestinian entrepreneurs; US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman; Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion; Chemi Peres, Chairman, Peres Center for Peace and Innovation and more. The group also visited Sapir College and paid homage to the memory of the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin on the anniversary of his assassination.

8.  ADL’s Task Force on Middle East Minorities’ First Anniversary

In November, ADL marked the one-year anniversary of the Task Force on Middle East Minorities, which identifies, elevates, and educates on the challenges confronting vulnerable minority communities across the region. Among numerous actions taken this year, the Task Force advocated for the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, imposing sanctions on international entities problematically transacting with the Assad regime, called upon Iran to stop human rights abuses against protesters and religious minorities, and wrote to Egyptian President El Sisi asking his government to arrest, prosecute, and convict perpetrators of sectarian attacks on Egyptian Christians.

9.  Delivered Workshops for Latin American Youth

ADL partnered with Jewish communities of Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil to conduct sessions – held in Israel and New York - that empowered high school youth to combat Antisemitism and hate in their communities.

10. Presented at Latin American Conferences on Antisemitism

In March and November, ADL was invited to speak at Latin American Conferences in Chile and Colombia about best practices in combating Antisemitism and delegitimization of Israel in the U.S. and Internationally. ADL’s participation in these fora strengthened the ties between ADL and local communities who turn to ADL for support when they are facing increased Antisemitism.