New York, NY, February 22, 2021 ... ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) CEO Jonathan Greenblatt issued the following statement regarding a recent joke made on Saturday Night Live's "Weekend Update" about Israel's COVID-19 vaccination program:
Saturday Night Live's 'Weekend Update' is known for sharp criticism and public takedowns, but Saturday's deeply offensive joke about Israel's COVID-19 vaccination process not only missed the mark, but crossed the line -- basing the premise of the joke on factual inaccuracies and playing into an antisemitic trope in the process. Unfortunately, ADL has tracked multiple 'Weekend Update' jokes this season that inappropriately use Jews as the punchline. I know they can do better. In that spirt, I reached out to Lorne Michaels over the weekend urging Saturday Night Live to take action both to repair the damage that's been done and ensure that this does not happen again.