Anti-Defamation League

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), formerly known as the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, is a New York-based international non-governmental organization that was founded to combat antisemitism, as well as other forms of bigotry and discrimination. The ADL is also known for its pro-Israel advocacy. Its current CEO is Jonathan Greenblatt. ADL headquarters are located in Murray Hill, in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The ADL has 25 regional offices in the United States including a Government Relations Office in Washington, D.C., as well as an office in Israel and staff in Europe. In its 2023 annual information Form 990, ADL reported total revenues of $38.3 million, the vast majority from contributions and grants. Its total operating revenue for 2023 was reported at $57.9 million.

It was founded in late September 1913 by the Independent Order of B'nai B'rith, a Jewish service organization, in the wake of the contentious murder conviction of Leo Frank. The ADL subsequently split from B'nai B'rith and continued as an independent US section 501(c)(3) nonprofit. In an early campaign, the ADL and allied groups pressured the automaker Henry Ford, who had published virulently antisemitic propaganda. In the 1930s, the ADL worked with the American Jewish Committee (AJC) to oppose pro-Nazi activity in the United States. It opposed McCarthyism during the Cold War, and campaigned for major civil rights legislation in the 1960s. It also worked with the NAACP to discredit the far right in a spy operation. In the 1980s, it was involved in propaganda against Nelson Mandela of South Africa before embracing him the following decade.

Since the 1970s, the ADL has advanced the concept of new antisemitism, including a definition that says anti-Zionism and some criticisms of Israel are antisemitic. It has received criticism, including from members of its staff, that such advocacy has diverted the ADL from its historical fight against antisemitism.