Readers Respond
Anti-Defamation League Ain’t No Heroes
Greetings,
I am writing in response to Sarah Royal’s piece in the March 30 L Magazine on the Anti-Defamation League. While I acknowledge that the ADL started out with a noble intentions, I think any fair observer would say that they’ve had their share of controversy in recent decades, mostly because of director Abraham Foxman’s politicization of the ADL’s mission. In fact, I find it enlightening that Ms. Royal chose not to mention Foxman at all. Also troubling is the fact that she says “fundamentalist groups have denounced them,” making it sound as if the only criticism the ADL has received is from racists and anti-Semites when that is certainly not the case. There are plenty of websites where one can find out how people such as Ralph Nader (an Arab-American) and Noam Chomsky (a Jew) have rightly criticized Foxman and the ADL. Now, don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t put the ADL in the same category as AIPAC, which basically operates as a lobbying and propaganda (and possibly spying) arm of the right-wing Likud Israeli government (itself “fundamentalist”), but they certainly aren’t all sweetness and light — and hardly an association of “superheroes.
Sincerely,
Brian DeSmet
Brooklyn, NY
Give the Man a Column!
Editors,
I just what to say how much I enjoyed Chris’ letter to Amir Modirzadeh (Issue 5, vol. III, March 16). I want to say in the 1990s I worked for the Concord Coalition. Being a Democrat, we had talks with many Democrat politicians concerning independent Social Security accounts and many were open to this. If you know anything about this problem something has to be changed. Just one thing, if Amir takes a vacation or decides not to write for The L Magazine, can Chris fill in? He had one of the most thoughtful letters ever written to you. At least I would not have to shift through Amir’s choice of words f--king and sh-t when he gets so mad he doesn’t know how to express himself.
Thanks,
Ellen
Greetings,
I am writing in response to Sarah Royal’s piece in the March 30 L Magazine on the Anti-Defamation League. While I acknowledge that the ADL started out with a noble intentions, I think any fair observer would say that they’ve had their share of controversy in recent decades, mostly because of director Abraham Foxman’s politicization of the ADL’s mission. In fact, I find it enlightening that Ms. Royal chose not to mention Foxman at all. Also troubling is the fact that she says “fundamentalist groups have denounced them,” making it sound as if the only criticism the ADL has received is from racists and anti-Semites when that is certainly not the case. There are plenty of websites where one can find out how people such as Ralph Nader (an Arab-American) and Noam Chomsky (a Jew) have rightly criticized Foxman and the ADL. Now, don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t put the ADL in the same category as AIPAC, which basically operates as a lobbying and propaganda (and possibly spying) arm of the right-wing Likud Israeli government (itself “fundamentalist”), but they certainly aren’t all sweetness and light — and hardly an association of “superheroes.
Sincerely,
Brian DeSmet
Brooklyn, NY
Give the Man a Column!
Editors,
I just what to say how much I enjoyed Chris’ letter to Amir Modirzadeh (Issue 5, vol. III, March 16). I want to say in the 1990s I worked for the Concord Coalition. Being a Democrat, we had talks with many Democrat politicians concerning independent Social Security accounts and many were open to this. If you know anything about this problem something has to be changed. Just one thing, if Amir takes a vacation or decides not to write for The L Magazine, can Chris fill in? He had one of the most thoughtful letters ever written to you. At least I would not have to shift through Amir’s choice of words f--king and sh-t when he gets so mad he doesn’t know how to express himself.
Thanks,
Ellen
