Post-Election Analysis
Hollywood Execs Discuss Portrayal of Jews
New Polls on Immigration; Religion & Hollywood
New York, NY, November 21, 2008 … Hundreds of leaders from across the country gathered November 13-15 in Los Angeles for the annual meeting of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) where they heard from an array of political leaders, journalists, Hollywood executives and experts on anti-Semitism. The League, which is celebrating its 95th year, released important new polls on American attitudes toward immigration, as well as religion and Hollywood, and issued a status report on anti-Semitism driven by the financial crisis. The ADL delegates were welcomed to Los Angeles by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and other local dignitaries.
Glen S. Lewy, ADL National Chair, pointed out that even with the watershed election of an African-American as president, the League's mission continues to be vital in a nation and world that face many challenges in overcoming bigotry, prejudice and anti-Semitism. "I wish I could say the election of Barack Obama has somehow resulted in the resolution of so many of the issues we care deeply about," Mr. Lewy said. "Alas, our battles continue on so many fronts and progress is often sporadic and by no means inevitable."
Political analyst Mark Halperin of Time Magazine discussed what lies ahead for the nation in the aftermath of the historic 2008 election. In praising the discipline of the Obama campaign and his transition team, Mr. Halperin predicted that the new administration would make unprecedented efforts to reach out to both parties in Congress and to bridge differences as the country faces a difficult road ahead. "There will be gratuitous solicitation and courtship to the Republican party to try to build partisan bridges," he said. "Every major challenge facing the country requires a bipartisan consensus."
Blaming the Jews: The Financial Crisis & Anti-Semitism
The perception that Jews have extraordinary claims on money has fueled anti-Semitism for hundreds of years. So it is no surprise that new anti-Semitic conspiracy theories are spreading on the Internet in response to the global financial crisis, Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, told delegates in his keynote address.
"Jews and Money: the dirty little secret of anti-Semitism is no secret. It has been a major factor fueling Jew hatred for hundreds of years, certainly since the Middle Ages," said Mr. Foxman. "The good news is that we don't see it being used in the mainstream media as an explanation for the current financial meltdown. The bad news is that remarks and rumors about the pernicious influence of Jews on Wall Street are being broadcast on Internet comment boards and blogs and the usual anti-Semitic Web sites that thrive on conspiratorial Jew-hate."
ADL Releases New Polls on American Attitudes
ADL released two new polls on American attitudes toward religion and Hollywood, and immigration. The polls found that:
- A majority of the American people believes that religious values are "under attack," and that the people who run the television networks and major movie studios do not share the religious and moral values of most Americans (more).
- There has been a steep decline in concerns about racial tensions in America over the past 15 years, with a significant majority -- 66% -- viewing the growth of America's minority populations as advantageous to the economy and society (more).
Fair or Foul: The Portrayal of Jews on TV
Howard Rosenberg, former media columnist and critic for The Los Angeles Times, moderated a discussion on the portrayal of Jews on television, which included Matt Weiner, the Creator and Executive Producer of AMC's Mad Men, and Rosalyn Weinman, Writer & Executive Producer of Law & Order and NBC's onetime Executive Vice President for Standards and Practices. Both Law & Order and Mad Men have dealt with issues of anti-Semitism and have featured Jewish characters and story lines in episodes.
"Defiance" Director Discusses New Holocaust Film
Director Ed Zwick discussed his new film, "Defiance" starring Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell as Jewish brothers and partisans who hide and protect Jews in the forest in Nazi-occupied Belarus. The film is based on the true story of the Bielski brothers.
Following an advance screening of the film, Mr. Zwick and Mr. Foxman, a Holocaust survivor who recounted his personal connections with story depicted in the film, discussed how motion pictures like "Defiance" can help to raise awareness of little-known Holocaust stories. The session was by moderated by Eric Mika, publisher of The Hollywood Reporter.
Updates on Arab and Muslim Extremism
Two experts spoke on threat of anti-Semitism and extremism in the Arab world. Joel Kotek, the author of Cartoons and Extremism: Israel and the Jews in the Arab and Western Media discussed how anti-Semitism is peddled in the Arab street through cartoons. Dr. Boaz Ganor, Executive Director of the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism in Israel made a presentation on current trends and threats of global Jihadi terrorism.
Awards and Commendations
The following awards and commendations were presented during ADL's annual meeting in Los Angeles:
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Los Angeles Times columnist Tim Rutten was honored with ADL's distinguished Hubert H. Humphrey First Amendment Freedoms Prize (more).
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First Assistant Chief Jim McDonnell of the Los Angeles Police Department was presented with the ADL Chief Giovanni Palatucci Courageous Leadership Award (more).
