In Rare Rebuke, Agudath Israel Slams Wikipedia for Censoring ADL

(VINnews) — In a rare move, Agudath Israel of America has posted a statement on X, slamming Wikipedia for its censorship of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). The Agudah decried the leftist platform’s decision to “delegitimize citing to the ADL in its characterization of Hamas’ attacks, and potentially on antisemitism generally”.

It called the decision “a sad day in the increasingly uphill battle against antisemitism”. And the group said that Wikipedia is “delegitimizing those who combat antisemitism,” and “enabling those who perpetuate it.”

This is a rare rebuke on several levels. For one, the Agudah strongly praised the work of the ADL in combating antisemitism, despite the many differences between the two groups, both ideologically and religiously (as is mentioned in the post itself). In addition, the advocacy group, which tends to adhere to promoting political values and causes to benefit the Jewish community, and occasionally condemns public figures, yet rarely discusses specific online platforms, clearly felt this issue is so critical to the orthodox Jewish community it represents, that it needed to speak out strongly and emphatically.

This statement speaks to the fact that Jewish groups of all denominations and backgrounds appear to be banding together, as we confront the greatest threat of hate and antisemitism in our lifetime.

It is no secret that Agudath Israel America and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) are not ideologically aligned on a host of religious and societal themes, at times even finding ourselves on opposing sides of an issue.

It is also no secret that antisemitism in the United States…

— Agudath Israel of America (@AgudahNews) July 30, 2024

Read the full statement:

It is no secret that Agudath Israel America and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) are not ideologically aligned on a host of religious and societal themes, at times even finding ourselves on opposing sides of an issue.

It is also no secret that antisemitism in the United States has been increasing in recent years — precipitously so since October 7th — and that the ADL has been an organization at the forefront of combating this. The ADL’s comprehensive cataloguing of antisemitic incidents both on the street and online is used by many government agencies to formulate policy. Agudath Israel has made use of this data it in its own advocacy for the Orthodox Jewish community.

Thus, the recent move by Wikipedia, arguably the most consulted reference work today, to delegitimize citing to the ADL in its characterization of Hamas’ attacks, and potentially on antisemitism generally, marks a sad day in the increasingly uphill battle against antisemitism. We respectfully, but urgently, press for the reconsideration of this move. By delegitimizing those who combat antisemitism, Wikipedia is enabling those who perpetuate it.