Coalition of 1,500 Rabbis Blasts ADL Call for Tucker Carlson Firing, Ignoring Left Antisemitism

Tucker Carlson
Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Politicon
Joshua Klein

After Anti-Defamation League (ADL) head Jonathan Greenblatt called for Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s dismissal after Carlson was falsely accused of antisemitism and defending the white-supremacist “great replacement” theory, the Coalition for Jewish Values (CJV) slammed the ADL for “grossly misplaced charges of antisemitism.”

In a letter published Wednesday and representing over 1,500 “traditional, observant rabbis in American public policy,” CJV — the largest rabbinic public policy organization in America — claimed it was “distressed” by the ADL’s accusations against Carlson. 

“Your recent attack on Tucker Carlson of Fox News, calling it ‘white supremacist’ to question whether particular policy choices enable illegal immigrants to nullify the votes of American citizens, is merely one example,” the letter reads.

The letter also accuses the ADL of becoming “markedly partisan” under Greenblatt’s leadership, largely abstaining from calling out “far more dangerous” antisemitism on the left.

“Your organization published the guide, Naming the Hate, which features obscure neo-Nazis of the ‘alt-right,’ yet says nothing regarding far more dangerous, leftist adherents of radical Islam,” the letter continues. “Similarly, the ADL denounced Brett Kavanaugh, but not Linda Sarsour.”

CJV also called out the ADL for falsely blaming the Trump administration for supposed “surges” in antisemitism while hiding the “truth” of antisemitic prevalence.

“You repeatedly attempted to blame the Trump administration for a ‘surge’ in antisemitic incidents, though this was contradicted by the ADL’s own data,” the letter reads. “The ADL has tirelessly endeavored to hide the truth readily known to most Jews in America: the overwhelming majority of antisemitic acts occur in Democrat-controlled cities and on college campuses dominated by progressive currents.”

CJV then noted the ADL’s hypocrisy in calling for Carlson’s dismissal.

“You lent credibility to MSNBC’s Al Sharpton, who unapologetically led a three-day pogrom in Crown Heights [fueling the deadly 1991 riots there] against ‘the diamond merchants,’ [an antisemitic euphemism for Jews] but have now called for Tucker Carlson to be fired.” 

“Carlson even predicted your reaction: he specifically noted that his words would be deliberately misconstrued by ‘the left, and the little gatekeepers on Twitter,’” the letter continued.

After noting new groups founded due to a feeling that “ADL has departed from its original and vital mission,” the letter concludes by calling for a meaningful transformation of the ADL. 

“We are eager for the ADL to discard its partisan preoccupations and undertake an urgently needed course correction,” it reads. “CJV hopes to assist in whatever advisory capacity the ADL deems beneficial.”

The letter was published in full in the Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.

Earlier in the week, former New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D) blasted the “hypocritical” ADL for launching an “unwarranted attack” on Carlson which “crossed the line” and — ironically — created antisemitism.

Since his takeover of the ADL, Greenblatt — who served in the Obama administration — has been seen as radically changing the group’s original course.

Just this week, Greenblatt said he would not honor Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch with an award today if the opportunity arose, though former ADL head Abraham Foxman stated he was proud of giving Murdoch an award a decade ago and “would give it to him again today” as well. 

Follow Joshua Klein on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.

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