The ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) has called for major American corporations, government agencies, and non-profit organizations to pledge to fight antisemitism in their workplaces, and announced plans to audit and report on progress in 2024.
By taking the “ADL Workplace Pledge to Fight Antisemitism,” organizations agree to actively prevent antisemitism in their workplaces, including addressing antisemitism in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs, supporting Employee Resource Groups or affinity groups for Jewish employees, guaranteeing religious accommodations for employees, and speaking out against antisemitism using their public platform.
“Workplace DEI initiatives are important efforts to create fairer workplaces, but for too long, too many have left Jewish workers and antisemitism out of the equation,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO.
“Employers should prioritize supporting Jewish employees as much as any other marginalized group. Building on the recent White House strategy, we”re asking America”s business, government and nonprofit leaders to join us in fighting antisemitism – and we will report on how well they”re meeting our goals.”
The pledge is the latest development in ADL”s ongoing work to stop antisemitism in the workplace. As part of the Biden Administration”s recently announced National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, every Fortune 500 company will receive ADL information on antisemitism, religious accommodations, and Jewish culture and contributions.
This builds on the nearly 200 companies that participated in the Shine A Light campaign, many of whom made commitments to speak out, address antisemitism in their DEI strategies, support Jewish ERGs, and re-evaluate their religious accommodation practices.
This announcement also comes as ADL data shows significant increases in antisemitic attitudes and incidents. Antisemitic acts surged to historic levels in 2022, with a total of 3,697 incidents reported across the United States, an increase of 36 percent compared to 2021. Businesses represent the 5th most frequent site where antisemitic incidents take place. In January, an ADL survey found 20 percent of U.S. adults hold pervasive antisemitic beliefs, the highest percentage in decades. This study also found that 16 percent of Americans believe that Jews are not as honest as other businesspeople, and 26 percent believe that Jews have too much power in the business world, both age-old antisemitic stereotypes.
