Anti-Defamation League

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) was formed in 1913 under the umbrella of B'nai B'rith with the mission of fighting antisemitism and defamation. Its founders cited the prejudice surrounding the murder charge of Leo Frank, a Jewish man they believed to be innocent of the crime of killing a young boy, as a reason for their inception. Early ADL efforts included pressuring media to avoid antisemitism, boycotting publications such as Henry Ford's The Dearborn Independent that contained antisemitic tropes, and, later, exposing political entities that promoted Jewish prejudice. In 2009, the ADL became an independent organization. It continues its non-confrontational approach to addressing antisemitism worldwide.