The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) describes itself as "the nation's premier civil rights/human relations agency." Its stated mission is to "fight anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry" and "to defend democratic ideals and protect civil rights for all."
Based on its own stated mission, it was a shock when the ADL, led by Abe Foxman, did not support the Park 51 center. The ADL's statement, suggesting that the center should not be built in lower Manhattan, released a tidal wave. After that statement, some Democratic and Jewish leaders also came out against the center.
During the most recent Sarah Palin controversy, the ADL released a statement wherein they "wish[ed]" that she had not used the term "blood libel," which they described as "fraught with pain." However, they also made the startling and wholly unsubstantiated claim that "the term 'blood-libel' has become part of the English parlance to refer to someone being falsely accused."
On The January 13, 2011 episode of "Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell", Benyamin Korn, of the group "Jews for Sarah," relied on the "part of the parlance" claim to argue that Palin's usage of "blood libel" was absolutely appropriate. He went on to insist that the majority of Jewish people had no problem with it.
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