by Kyle Rogers

Imagine if you ran a political organization in which major news sources treat you as an authority and print your every word as the gospel truth. Imagine that police departments and public schools used your materials to teach political beliefs. What if your organization was so influential that you could obtain presidential pardons for financial supporters and pressure authorities into dropping charges against your employees? Picture yourself with all of these powers and a yearly budget of 50 million dollars. Just think of the sway you could have over American politics.

The Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith is just such an organization. While using the guise of defending Jews from defamation, it strongly promotes a radical left?wing agenda and attempts to silence any opposition to its extreme political theories.

B'nai B'rith is a fraternal Jewish organization, founded in 1843, complete with Masonic?like regalia and trappings. "B'nai B'rith" literally means, in Hebrew, "Sons of the Cut" (circumcision). Or as they are more commonly referred to, "Sons of the Covenant," meaning that they are the beneficiaries of the promises made to Moses by God.

B'nai B'rith established the Anti-Defamation League in 1913 with the alleged purpose of defending the Jewish image from defamation. But recent ADL press releases show that the group is more concerned with defaming others than defending anyone. In the past few months alone, the ADL has unleashed vicious verbal attacks against everything from teenage vandals to the Evangelical Lutheran Church to the government of Egypt.

The ADL web page contains a barrage of attacks, largely inaccurate, on the Council of Conservative Citizens. According to the ADL, the CofCC publishes a prison newsletter and has a "neo-nazi, paramilitary" ideology. It also states that both the Aryan Brotherhood, a prison gang, and the "Silent Brotherhood," a now defunct violent group on the far right in the 1980s, are "offshoots" of the CofCC and that what it terms the Council's "approach" is that of "The Way," presumably referring to an obscure religious sect that flourished in the 1980s. The Council, of course, has never had any connection with any of these groups. In addition to the supposed "neo-Nazi, paramilitary" ideology of the CofCC, the ADL also characterizes the ideology of the group as "Christian Identity (several clergymen associated with the CofCC have repeatedly criticized Christian Identity strongly) and "white supremacy." Finally, the ADL claims that the CofCC "advances its ideiology by inflaming fears and resentments among Southern whites" particularly with regard to several racially tinged issues and inaccurately claims that David Duke is one of the "extremist associations" of the Council (Duke has never been a member of the Council) and that Sena. Jesse Helms has spoken to or attended our meetings (he never has). seo

The fact that the media works closely with the ADL has led to attacks on the CofCC in newspapers. In July of 2001, a reporter for the Columbus Dispatch called this writer as Ohio CofCC chairman. The reporter stated, "I got your name and phone number from the Anti-Defamation League." The subsequent article, which contained quotes from an ADL representative, called the CofCC a "hate clan" and implied that the CofCC should be monitored for violent activity.

Some of the ADLs' defamatory attacks have come back to haunt them. In April 2000, a Colorado jury ordered the ADL to pay $10.5 million to a Denver couple, the Quigleys, which the organization defamed as "anti-Semites." The couple had gotten into an argument with their Jewish neighbors, and the ADL issued a press release asserting bizarre and ridiculous accusations against the Quigleys. The ADL also began using a police scanner to monitor the Quigleys' telephone conversations. William Quigley, an employee of United Artists Theaters, lost a major portion of his income due to the anti-Semitic label the ADL falsely pinned on him. The Quigleys sued the ADL for defamation, invasion of privacy, and economic losses ? and won.

ADL activities have brought criminal charges as well. In 1992, California police raided the San Francisco and Los Angeles offices of the ADL. It was revealed that the ADL was keeping files on thousands of individuals and had illegally obtained hundreds of police records. In 1994, the ADL settled, out of court, a civil lawsuit with the city of San Francisco for $75,000. One man who obtained police files for the ADL was convicted of minor criminal charges, but the settlement with the city protected the group from facing criminal charges itself. In 1996, an assortment of Arab-American groups, human?rights organizations and private individuals, which the ADL had spied on, filed a class?action lawsuit. The ADL settled out of court for $175,000. kleidung online

In 1996 also, the ADL played a major role in forcing St. Martin's Press, a major New York publishing house, to abandon plans to publish historian David Irving's biography of Nazi leader Joseph Goebbels. The biography, which had been selected by the Military Book Club as an alternate feature, supposedly contained or expressed views on the Nazi persecution of the Jews that the ADL opposed. Spokesmen for St. Martin's told the press that the house had dropped Irving's book after receiving some 25 phone calls and several letters objecting to the book's publication. Among those writing such letters to the publisher were the American Jewish Committee and the ADL's director Abraham Foxman.

In 1994, the ADL attracted yet further attention because of its allegations that the so-called "Christian Right," including such groups as Pat Robertson's Christian Coalition, were anti-Semitic. The ADL published a book titled "The Religious Right: The Assault on Tolerance and Pluralism in America," in which Robertson and his group (among other conservative organizations and activists) were accused of anti-Semitism and "Nazi symnpathies," according to the Washington Times. Robertson himself responded with a four-page letter to Foxman detailing the hundreds of thousands of dollars he has donated to Jewish and Israeli charities, among other services, and a number of Jewish neo-conservatives defended Robertson against the ADL's attacks, which were widely seen as politically motivated.

Aside from their record of defaming others and conducting criminal espionage, the ADL has a solid record of promoting the extreme left. Rabbi Daniel Lapin, head of the conservative Jewish group Toward Tradition, gave ADL chief Abe Foxman the "Our Own Worst Enemy" award. Rabbi Lapin blasted the ADL as "liberalism with a circumcision" and said the ADL causes children to "dismiss Jewish identity as, for example, merely an obsession with death and persecution. Lapin also stated that Abe Foxman is deluded by "a worldview preoccupied with victimhood." ASUS G60V REPLACEMENT LAPTOP LCD SCREEN

Abe Foxman was criticized, far and wide, by influential Jews for his leading role in procuring a presidential pardon for billionaire tax cheat Marc Rich. Marc Rich was a major financial contributor to the ADL. The major Jewish weekly, The Forward,  blasted Foxman for his role. William Safire, a New York Times columnist, called for Foxman's resignation as ADL chief.

Carl Pearlston, a former member of the ADL Executive Committee, broke ranks after 25 years. "My conservative political views were barely tolerated by my liberal colleagues. Our meetings were like those of a Democratic Party club. It was assumed that all shared a liberal or 'progressive' political world view," wrote Pearlston in an article with the Jewish World Review. Pearlston goes on to state, "fighting 'hate' became a euphemism for an attack on sexual morality, the traditional family, and the Jewish view that children deserve a loving father and mother, not two fathers or two mothers. It is only through a perverse notion of 'tolerance' that support for traditional teaching about the family is intimidated, and condemned."
Pearlston, who supported the right to display the Ten Commandments in public places, says that the ADL fought this right tooth and nail to the Supreme Court because, "such a display would encourage other religious groups to exercise their right to similar displays."
However, the ADL does not just campaign for the left; they have a strong history of getting legislation passed. When Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act in 1964, then ADL national director Benjamin Epstein and law department director Sol Rabkin were both present at the signing. Rabkin wrote in the groups' publication, "The Anti?Defamation League is proud of the educational role it played in helping to bring this (Civil Rights Legislation) about." The ADL was also amicus curiae for Brown vs. The Board of Education and Engel v. Vitale,. the latter a Supreme Court case that removed prayer from public schools.
More recently the ADL has gotten anti?militia and so?called "hate crimes" laws passed in several states by submitting what it calls "model legislation" to assemblies. The ADL backed hate crime legislation is largely designed to give white teenage vandals prison sentences that are on par with rapists and child molesters. During the White House conference on Hate Crimes legislation in 1997, printed materials from the ADL were used.
Despite the obvious political nature of the ADL, it operates as a tax?exempt "religious and charitable" organization. In 1971 the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia heard a case to decide whether or not B'nai B'rith and the ADL should be prosecuted for failing to register as agents of a foreign power under the FARA act of 1938. Saul Joftes, a former director general of the B'nai B'rith Office of International Affairs, testified that B'nai B'rith "engages in international politics and more often than not does the bidding of the government of Israel. Its leaders make frequent trips to Israel for indoctrination and instructions." The ADL and B'nai B'rith escaped prosecution.
In 1974, American patriots sued U.S. Secretary of Defense James Schlesinger. The lawsuit was filed to halt the transfer of U.S. armaments to Israel because of the Israeli attack on the USS Liberty, which killed 34 American servicemen. The ADL entered the suit as an amicus curiae or, "friend of the court." Critics suggest that this brazen behavior by the ADL demonstrates that they are "untouchable" by federal laws.
The ADL believes that it can best promote its views by focusing much of its efforts on school children. The ADL sells lesson plans to schools that assist teachers in "teaching tolerance." Schools, teachers, and local police are also encouraged to order the ADLs education videos. Titles include "Rapmatazz" a 24?minute video for $100.00, or "Breaking Through Stereotypes" a 15?minute video for $75.00.
Besides disseminating its own views, the ADL seeks to keep rival views out of peoples' hands. The ADL tries to justify censorship by claiming that it is keeping people from "accidentally" viewing material that would offend them.

As early as 1908, B'nai B'rith began hinting at their desire for censorship. Rabbi Joseph Silverman, at a meeting of the Executive Committee of that year, suggested that certain works of William Shakespeare be removed from public schools. He also suggested that B'nai B'rith create an agency to defend the image of Jews in the media.

By the 1930's, Silverman's plan had been realized and the ADL was well on it's way to becoming a powerful force of censorship. In 1933, Charles Scribner & Sons published Conquest of a Continent by Madison Grant, then president of the New York Zoological society. Professor Henry Fairfield Osborn, a prominent paleontologist, provided the foreword. The book outlined the racial nature of America and argued that any new immigration should reflect the people who are already here.

The book contained very few references to Jews, of which none were derogatory. Yet Richard E. Gutstadt, then director of the ADL, wrote that the book "is extremely antagonistic to Jewish interests." Gutstadt also wrote, "we are interested in stifling the sale of this book." The ADL sent letters to magazines urging them not to review the book,  letters to stores asking them not to sell it, and letters to distributors asking that they not carry it.

As the ADL's censorship program grew, they started giving press releases that defame authors. The ADL continues its campaign of damaging press releases today.  This is quite effective because major media sources will trumpet the ADL's claims and create bad publicity for the business in question. For example, on April 7, 1997 the ADL issued a press release attacking America Online for not policing client's web accounts. A simple search on Yahoo shows that a wide array newspapers and media used statements from the press release.

The ADL has focused much of its censorship efforts on the Internet. It has developed it's own "Hate Filter" software, which can be purchased for $29.95. This software blocks access to web pages that the ADL deems inappropriate. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are encouraged to police their clients' accounts. The ADL states, "Commercial ISPs, such as America Online (AOL), may voluntarily agree to prohibit users from sending racist or bigoted messages over their services. Such prohibitions do not implicate First Amendment rights because they are entered into through private contracts and do not involve government action in any way."  Given the unreliability of its accusations against groups like the CofCC and the Christian Right, one can imagine what other groups and causes the ADL would denounce as "racist" or "bigoted."

The ADL is truly a force to be reckoned with in American politics. Not only do schools use their teaching materials, many even invite ADL representatives as guest speakers to their classrooms. Local newspapers blindly report whatever information is released by the ADL. The ADL maintains its "tax?exempt" status despite overwhelming participation in politics. Director Abe Foxman demonstrated his ability to influence American presidents by acquiring Marc Rich's pardon.

One can only speculate that the ADL's own behavior will eventually cause a backlash against the organization. This may come sooner rather than later. The ADL's recent fanatical defense of extremist elements of the Israeli population may turn out to be too much for the average American to stomach.

If the American public were really aware of the true nature of the ADL, the group would already revolt them. In an ADL statement, their fight to remove prayer from school in the Supreme Court is called a "momentous victory." They list this accomplishment as one of the organizations largest achievements. Just imagine the mentality of a group who thinks it's a major achievement to squash religion and traditional wholesome values.

New developments have shown that B'nai B'rith is perhaps one and the same with the ADL. In 1987 B'nai B'rith was ordered to pay $400,000 to a Canadian parliamentary candidate for defamation. B'nai B'rith has also openly supported and spoken at conferences of the Anti?Racist Action. The ARA is a violent Marxist group that often stages anti?police rallies and has caused tens of thousands of dollars worth of property damage in Canada and America. During a discussion of the ARA by Toronto City Council, B'nai B'rith representative Sam Title wrote to Councilman Norm Gardiner in 1996, "we have worked with them before, and we presently have a workable and amiable relationship with ARA, despite their 'tactics'."

To see the ADL in action, visit http://www.adl.org