New York, New York, June 20, 2012… The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today reacted to the decision by author Alice Walker to refuse to allow an Israeli company to publish a Hebrew edition of her classic novel, "The Color Purple," in protest of what she described as Israel's "apartheid" policies and "persecution of the Palestinian people."

Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, issued the following statement:

It is more out of sadness than anger that we react to the news of Alice Walker's decision not to publish her classic novel, "The Color Purple," in Hebrew.  It is sad that people who inspire to fight bigotry and prejudice continue to have a biased and bigoted side. For some time Walker has been blinded by her anti-Israel animus.  Unfortunately, this willful ignorance and bias against Israel has led her to exercise poor judgment in her publishing endeavors.

Walker has squandered an opportunity to make her work more widely available to an important audience, not only in Israel but around the world, in the biblical and modern language of the Jewish people.

As someone who is seen as a leader in the fight against racism and discrimination, we hope that Ms. Walker will make the effort to truly understand Israel's fight for its survival and reconsider her unfortunate and discriminatory decision.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.