From the Frontlines

"From the Frontlines" is an ADL podcast which brings listeners to the frontline in the battle against antisemitism and hate.

The anniversary of October 7th was a difficult day for all people of good will who mourned the horrific loss of innocent life, the brutalization of many more who were injured and the inhuman taking of hostages. Today’s show reflects on that trauma but also the antisemitism that ensued, the soul searching by the Jewish community in the US over the past year, the surge in Jewish identity building, and the many questions with which we are left one year later.

The guides for this journey are Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, Senior Rabbi of Park Avenue Synagogue in New York City, and ADL CEO and National Director Jonathan Greenblatt. The idea for this conversation grew out of Rabbi Cosgrove’s insightful new book on the post 10/7 reality, entitled, “For Such a Time as This: On Being Jewish Today.” Truly a special show and an extraordinary lineup to help us understand this difficult moment in which we find ourselves. As always, the host for this podcast is ADL New York/New Jersey Director Scott Richman.

For details on Rabbi Cosgrove's new book, visit: https://pasyn.org/program/such-time-being-jewish-today.

This is part one of a two-part series reflecting on one year since October 7th. Part two is a conversation with ADL Deputy National Director Dr. Kenneth Jacobson on the launch of his new book with his writings since 10/7. You can listen to it at this link: https://soundcloud.com/scott-richman-2/from-the-frontlines-reflecting-on-the-year-since-october-7th-with-kenny-jacobson.

This podcast was recorded on October 22, 2024.

"From the Frontlines" is an ADL podcast which brings listeners to the frontline in the battle against antisemitism and hate.

Surrounding the 2020 election was a whirlwind of extremist activity which was cause for deep concern by ADL at the time. We saw the rhetoric and threats building, and of course, this all led to the terrifying insurrection on January 6th 2021. Here we are - nearly four years later - with the same Republican candidate and the current Vice President vying for the presidency. Does this mean that we will face the same election related extremism? Will it be worse? Better?

To answer these important and timely questions, Alex Friedfeld joined this podcast. He is the Associate Director for Investigative Research at ADL’s Center on Extremism. He tracks these issues closely and is a wealth of knowledge about election-related extremism.

To view the many ADL resources related to election-related extremism and elections in general, visit ADL's Election landing page: https://www.adl.org/elections.

For more information ADL's Center on Extremism, visit their landing page on the ADL website: https://www.adl.org/research-centers/center-on-extremism.

This podcast was recorded on October 15, 2024.

"From the Frontlines" is an ADL podcast which brings listeners to the frontline in the battle against antisemitism and hate.

A major frontline in this battle is the effort to dismantle the Jewish state and end the right to Jewish national self-determination through boycotts, divestment campaigns and sanctions - better known as the BDS movement. Some defend it as simply a nonviolent form of protest. The questions we will discuss on today’s show is what this movement is, why is it so bad, and how we are combatting it.

To help us answer these questions, two members of the staff of JLens joined the show. JLens offers a Jewish lens through which to invest, which includes encouraging companies to expand their economic ties to Israel. Nearly two years ago, ADL acquired JLens in order to place greater emphasis on fighting hate in the corporate boardroom.

Dani Nurick, JLens Director of Advocacy, and Allison Marrill, JLens Director of Research were the guests on this podcast.

To view ADL resources on the BDS Movement, including the toolkit mentioned on the podcast, visit: https://notoleranceforantisemitism.adl.org/resources and click on the "Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions" tab.

You can also go directly to the toolkit by visiting this site: https://www.adl.org/resources/blog/campus-divestment-campaigns-jlens-unpacks-demands-and-consequences

To view the JLens report on the economic consequences of BDS by universities, visit this link: https://www.adl.org/resources/report/largest-100-university-endowments-could-lose-33-billion-over-10-years-if-divested

For more information about JLens, visit their website: https://www.jlensnetwork.org/.

"From the Frontlines" is an ADL podcast which brings listeners to the frontline in the battle against antisemitism and hate.

Since 10/7, Jewish students have been the victims of a steep rise in antisemitic incidents in their schools and universities. In some cases, Jewish students are left feeling angry, unwelcome and at times unsafe. However, Jewish day schools appear to be a safe harbor in this environment - free from the antisemitism that students face elsewhere.

ADL New York/New Jersey’s Campus Committee decided to do a deep dive into this topic to understand not only what Jewish students in day schools were experiencing but also how well those schools were preparing their students and graduates to face a less welcoming world. So, they hosted a webinar a few weeks ago with four day school heads in the New York/New Jersey region.

Scott Richman, the host of this podcast, was honored to serve as the moderator of this important discussion. It was a rich and fascinating look at how one part of the Jewish community is handling the issue of antisemitism. It was so interesting that this edited version is now being releases as a “From the Frontlines” podcast.

The guests on this podcast are:

1. Steven Freedman, Head of School at Schechter Bergen in New Jersey

2. Dr. Michael Kay, Head of School at the Leffell School in Westchester

3. Rabbi Binyamin or Bini Kraus, Principal of SAR Academy in Riverdale, and

4. Rabbi Eliezer Rubin, Head of School at Kushner Academy in New Jersey

Also, ADL’s Vice President for Advocacy Shira Goodman joined the conversation.

This webinar took place on September 10, 2024.

"From the Frontlines" is an ADL podcast which brings listeners to the frontline in the battle against antisemitism and hate.

Since the horrific events of 10/7, we have seen a virtual explosion of anti-Israel activism on our college campuses, and its most radical expressions have left Jewish students feeling angry, unwelcome and at times unsafe. This is not new. What is the new is the horrific scale of the activity. Every September, ADL takes the temperature of this anti-Israel activity with its report entitled “Annual Assessment of Anti-Israel Activity on Campus.” This year’s report has just come out, and it is the subject of this podcast. Its author is Lauren Post. She is an analyst in ADL’s Center on Extremism focused on researching anti-Israel and anti-Zionist trends and developments, and she is the guest on this show.

To read the full ADL report, entitled "Anti-Israel Activism on U.S. Campuses, 2023-2024," visit https://www.adl.org/resources/report/anti-israel-activism-us-campuses-2023-2024.

For more information about ADL's Center on Extremism, visit https://www.adl.org/research-centers/center-on-extremism.

During the podcast, Lauren references a report by Tufts Professor Eitan Hersh on the impact on the Israel-Hamas War on college students. You can read the report's findings at this link: https://jimjosephfoundation.org/learning-resources/a-year-of-campus-conflict-and-growth-an-over-time-study-of-the-impact-of-the-israel-hamas-war-on-u-s-college-students/

This podcast was recorded in September 2024.

"From the Frontlines" is an ADL podcast which brings listeners to the frontline in the battle against antisemitism and hate.

It seems that with every news item, an active misinformation and disinformation campaign pops up almost immediately to fit a skewed narrative or agenda. Battling against this is a major frontline in the fight against hate. We certainly have seen this in the wake of the horrific Hamas attack against Israel on 10/7, and as we approach the November 2024 election, this only has the potential to get worse.

This past week, the ADL activist group known as ADL New Jersey decided to host a very important webinar on this topic with two ADL experts, moderated by Scott Richman, the host of this podcast. It was called, “Misinformation and Disinformation: What Can You Do?” and an edited version is now available here as a podcast.

The experts on this program were Sara Aniano and Daniel Kelley. Sara is a Disinformation Analyst at the ADL’s Center on Extremism, and Daniel Kelley is the Director of Strategy and Operations and Acting Head of the ADL Center for Technology and Society (CTS).

For more information about ADL's Center on Extremism, visit https://www.adl.org/research-centers/center-on-extremism, and for more information on ADL's Center for Technology and Society, visit https://www.adl.org/research-centers/center-technology-society.

This podcast is an edited version of an ADL New York/New Jersey program which took place on July 25, 2024.

"From the Frontlines" is an ADL podcast which brings listeners to the frontline in the battle against antisemitism and hate.

Post 10/7, an important frontline in this battle has been the work of law enforcement and the courts to curtail bad behavior, especially litigation. Whether on campus or elsewhere, ADL has stepped up this work, and the current lawsuit against the countries of Iran, North Korea and Syria takes this litigation effort to a whole new realm. ADL believes that those countries played a significant part in the horrific terrorist attack on Israel on October 7th, and this lawsuit on behalf of 130 plaintiffs will hold them accountable.

James Pasch joined this podcast to unpack all of the details of this game-changing lawsuit. He is ADL’s Senior Director of National Litigation and is ADL’s lead counsel on this lawsuit.

For more information on the lawsuit, check out these other interviews with ADL colleagues: https://www.adl.org/adl-represents-10-7-victims-lawsuit-against-iran-syria-and-north-korea.

This podcast was recorded on July 12, 2024.

"From the Frontlines" is an ADL podcast which brings listeners to the frontline in the battle against antisemitism and hate.

The Supreme Court always seems to be on the frontline, and this year was no exception as the Court decided a series of very important cases. Each July, for the past 25 years, ADL hosts the Supreme Court review to take stock of the term that just ended at the beginning of July. Thousands of people will attend in person and tune in virtually this July 9th for this year’s insightful Supreme Court review.

To give us a sneak peek at what to expect, Steve Freeman, ADL’s Senior Counsel and Director of Legacy, joined the “From the Frontlines” podcast.

To register for this year's Supreme Court Review or to view the video afterwards, visit: https://www.adl.org/supreme-court-review.

This podcast was recorded in July 2024.

"From the Frontlines" is an ADL podcast which brings listeners to the frontline in the battle against antisemitism and hate.

The frontline since 10/7 has been the explosive rise in antisemitic incidents across the nation and around the globe. A few weeks ago, ADL released its Annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents. This data shines a bright light on this rise which is on a scale and at a pace never seen before - at least not in the decades since ADL has been tracking this data. Today’s show will delve into those numbers but will also offer an exclusive behind the scenes look at the audit and how it is compiled.

ADL’s Center on Extremism produces the audit, and our expert for this podcast is the Center’s Director, Aryeh Tuchman.

To see the full audit, visit https://www.adl.org/resources/report/audit-antisemitic-incidents-2023. Also mentioned on the show was ADL's HEAT Map, which can be viewed at this link: https://www.adl.org/resources/tools-to-track-hate/heat-map.

This podcast was recorded in April 2024.

"From the Frontlines" is an ADL podcast which brings listeners to the frontline in the battle against antisemitism and hate.

A major frontline in this battle are our college campuses. Since October 7th, we have seen an unprecedented rise in antisemitic incidents at our colleges and universities, making Jewish students feel unwelcome, unsafe, and angry. A few weeks ago, this show focused on ADL’s Not On My Campus Campaign. This campaign directly addresses campus antisemitism. It has many elements to it, but overall, it focuses on two strategic goals. The first is to empower and provide resources for students, families, alumni and other stakeholders to ensure that campuses are welcoming places. This first strategy was discussed at length on the earlier podcast.

The second strategic pillar goes right to the heart of the matter by holding universities accountable. This is done by means of a report card - a letter grade given to 85 universities to evaluate the state of antisemitism on campus and how schools across the country are responding. Those grades have just been released in time for students to make decisions about which schools to attend this fall. For some schools, it was a relief and a vindication of all that they have done, but for many others, it was a wake up call.

ADL’s Senior Director of Advocacy Shira Goodman joined this podcast to tell us all of the details of the report card and to help us understand what it all means.

To see the full report card and all of the details, visit https://www.adl.org/campus-antisemitism-report-card. For more information on the "Not on My Campus" Campaign, visit: https://notoleranceforantisemitism.adl.org/. This was recorded on April 12, 2024.