Demonstration at the ADL Concert Against Hate
Jewish Activists Challenge ADL’s Support
for US-Israel Police Exchange Programs
A member of JVP - DC Metro at the ADL Concert Against Hate handing out fliers about the Deadly Exchange programs the ADL funds between US & Israeli police. Photo: Scott Brown
Washington, D.C. -- Jewish Voice for Peace - DC Metro (JVP - DC Metro) called on the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) to stop sponsoring U.S. police “counter-terrorism” trainings with Israeli military, police, and intelligence officials. JVP-DC Metro delivered this message tonight at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where the ADL hosted the Concert Against Hate, an event meant to “honor heroes in the battle against intolerance, injustice, and extremism.” JVP members and supporters distributed leaflets that describe the impact of these exchanges on the vulnerable communities most impacted by them. Many attendees welcomed the leaflets and expressed interest in the concerns raised about the ADL’S police exchange program.
The ADL sponsors the National Counter-terrorism Training Seminar (NCTS), a police exchange program between the U.S. and Israel that JVP - DC Metro Chapter Coordinator Alison Glick described as, “a bilateral exchange of worst practices that exacerbates the already racist and violent tactics used by the police against civilian populations in both countries.” JVP - DC Metro recently learned that a D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer attended this Seminar in September of 2017. The October 30th action challenged ADL’s assertion that it fights against discrimination and promotes civil rights for all, given its funding of multiple police delegations sent to train with Israeli security officials responsible for maintaining over 50 years of military occupation and dispossession. These exchanges have reinforced relationships that also saw the Israeli police adopt the U.S. racial profiling tactic of “stop and frisk” as part of its system of controlling the occupied Palestinian population.
By highlighting ADL’s selective support for rights and justice at an event attended by national leaders in the civil and human rights community, JVP - DC Metro hopes that those organizations and individuals committed to such honorable work will join us in affirming that all people are entitled to security, dignity and justice -- whether they are vulnerable communities of color living in the U.S. or Palestinians living under a regime of discrimination and occupation.
We share ideals highlighted by the Concert Against Hate, like fully embracing the LGBTQ community and supporting DREAMers. The continuation of the Deadly Exchange, however, directly contradicts those ideals. “No communities are truly safe when state officials view populations as subjects and threats rather than the people they are supposed to serve—and to whom they are accountable,” said Glick.
The action was endorsed by the following:
Endorsing Clergy: Rabbi Rebecca Alpert, Rabbi Haim Dov Beliak, Rabbi Meryl M. Crean, Rev. Dr. Robin H. Gorsline, Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb, Rev. Graylan Hagler, Rabbi Linda Holtzman, Rabbi Edward J. Klein, Rabbi Brant Rosen, Imam Ali Siddiqui, Rev. Dr. Lewis T. Tait Jr., Rabbi Brian Walt, Rabbi Joseph Wolf, and Rabbi Laurie Zimmerman
Endorsing Organizations: American Muslims for Palestine, Black Lives Matter DC, DC Justice for Muslims Coalition, DC National Lawyers Guild, Defending Rights & Dissent, Montgomery County Civil Rights Coalition, Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace, and Stop Police Terror Project
For further information, please contact info@jvpdc.org. More information about Jewish Voice for Peace’s national campaign against American-Israeli police exchanges that propagate violent and discriminatory law enforcement practices can be found at DeadlyExchange.org.