ADL Chair Ben Sax: USDA Remarks

Remarks Delivered September 29, 2023

Chag sameach!

Tonight is the first night of Sukkot, a holiday in which we welcome guests into our homes and our sukkahs — to celebrate the changing of seasons and the beginning of a new year full of promise.

Over the last month, Jews everywhere have come together to celebrate the high holidays. It’s the sense of community, the sense of belonging and unity that we feel on these holidays – and particularly while gathered together under the Sukkah - that affords us the time to slow down and reflect on the humanity in each of our neighbors and how we can use our efforts to heal the world and solve collective challenges.  

Today, we are proud to join with the United States Department of Agriculture in announcing a crucial partnership that will help to push our country in the right direction to implement strategies aimed at countering antisemitism and all forms of hate.

Thank you, Secretary Vilsack, for your leadership on this issue and for having us here today. And thank you, Melissa Rogers, Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, and Samantha Joseph, for your partnership in this event.

We come together at a precarious time for the Jewish American community.

ADL’s landmark poll of Americans’ attitudes toward Jews found that one-in-five Americans – 20 percent – believe in six or more antisemitic tropes about Jews – making them, in the words of our researchers, people who have “extensive antisemitic attitudes.”

That’s the highest level in more than 30 years. It should come as no surprise that these hateful beliefs fuel hateful actions.

As many of you know, ADL tracks antisemitic incidents in America. In 2022, Jewish communities endured 3,697 antisemitic incidents. That is the highest number of anti-Jewish acts ADL has ever seen since we started doing this reporting more than four decades ago.

To address these challenges, earlier this year President Biden announced the first-ever comprehensive U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism. This historic strategy reflects ADL’s priorities, and we are honored that it incorporates almost all of our detailed recommendations.  The White House made this a priority and delivered this significant, comprehensive strategy that brings a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to the ancient hatred of antisemitism.

But no government strategy can be successful without a real commitment to implement it.

At ADL, we have been working tirelessly to help agencies make good on their commitments under the National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism.  Today, the USDA is the first federal agency to publicly announce such a partnership alongside ADL. This is the first partnership with more to come. Thank you!

ADL is delighted to announce today that we will partner with the USDA to support several goals outlined in the National Strategy.

First: ADL will provide educational opportunities for U.S. Forest Service agents to learn how to identify and counter antisemitism and other forms of hate;

Second: We will work with subject matter experts to develop and disseminate an “Antisemitism Training Toolkit” for rural and land-grant colleges and universities on addressing specific incidents of antisemitism;

Third: We will provide educational opportunities for 4-H, Future Farmers of America, and other rural youth organizations to learn how to identify and counter antisemitism; 

Fourth: We will help convene a dialogue with religious leaders from across America, with a particular focus on rural areas, to assess the state of antisemitism and highlight effective strategies to counter it. 

And finally, ADL will support the USDA in providing workplace antisemitism educational opportunities to USDA personnel.

We appreciate the hard work of the team here at USDA and our partner organizations to make these opportunities possible. The only way forward is forward together, to ensure we are working across all levels of government, across all facets of society to combat antisemitism and hatred wherever it is. We look forward to building on this important partnership with much, much more to come.

Thank you!