ADL Responds to Trump’s Antisemitism Order and Title VI Debate

Anti-Defamation League

2019

The President’s Executive Order on Anti-Semitism: Frequently Asked Questions

On December 11, 2019, President Trump signed an Executive Order on anti-Semitism. The order is designed to give the federal government more tools to protect Jews from anti-Semitism by addressing a gap in the interpretation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a key…

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In December 2019, the Trump administration issued an executive order on combating antisemitism that reaffirmed Jews’ inclusion under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Building on Kenneth Marcus’s earlier efforts, the order stated that discrimination against Jews could violate Title VI when based on race, color, or national origin. Critics raised concerns about classifying Jews under these categories and about defining some anti-Zionist or anti-Israel speech as antisemitic. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) defended the order, clarifying Jews’ legal status and arguing that the order addressed rising campus antisemitism.

Creator Bio

Anti-Defamation League

est. 1913

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.