The Exchanges

Q now to fight anti-Semitism? A lot of my friends who have a lot of resources, I guess that's an anti-Semitic trope, but it's just, I mean, it's true. Sometimes they have a lot of resources in our people. They want to use it for good. They want to use the help. Like what else could we be doing to kind of, kind of help our society during this tough time?

A Well, I think all of us have the capacity to push back against hate, to fight antisemitism, to create a more, you know, a world where everyone feels valued. So what are things you can do? Look, if you're an individual, you can volunteer, you can do stuff online. You have to speak out when you see hate, whether it's flagging a post that's problematic or interrupting someone when they're making an antisemitic comment. Yep. I think you have to share facts. You know, like don't like forward some crazy email from your mother's neighbors, you know, father-in-law, you know, that talks about the space lasers or controlling the weather. I mean, I think know your facts because I think the truth will set you free and stay measured and controlled. But I also think like different parties can do a role. So I mentioned a few minutes ago, you know, we're suing all these, um, institutions. We're working with a whole bevy of law firms. Like, I mean, the biggest firms in the country like Jones Day and Davis Polk and, um, uh, Latham and Watkins and Arnold and Porter, the biggest firms are working with us. That's what they're doing. We're working with corporations. We created something called the Workplace Pledge Against Anti-Semitism. Google, WPP, Apollo, J. Crew, a bunch of gigantic companies and firms have joined that. Um, We are, you know, I don't know if you saw or not, but earlier this year, …

AI assessment note: “Look, if you're an individual, you can volunteer, you can do stuff online.”

Q impact. Obviously the ADL has been something that's important to our people. We're both Jewish. It's something that's been important to our people for a very long time. We'll talk more about it cause it has a very complex history, but maybe tell us a little bit about. What the ADL did in the past and why it was important. Like what, what are some of the successes it had?

A Sure. Look, ADL was founded in 1913 around the Leo Frank trial. This was a Jewish guy who was wrongfully accused of a crime, ultimately sentenced to death. There was exculpatory evidence and he was, uh, his, his death sentence was reduced to life imprisonment and the mob was so enraged they tore him from his jail and they hung him from a tree. And the wake of his trial and death led to really the creation and the acceleration of ADL. So when it was founded in 1913, the mission statement that they wrote was that its purpose would be to quote, stop the defamation of the Jewish people and secure justice and fair treatment to all. So ADL has always thought we have to defend the Jews, and we also, we do that by defending others. When everyone is safe, the Jews will be safe.

AI assessment note: “ADL was founded in 1913 around the Leo Frank trial.”

Q You've called out places like, like Harvard and others, and I think probably Penn and whatnot, and like, are they getting any better? Like, have things improved a little bit? Not really.

A I mean, uh, last year was a disaster on many of these campuses. So far, in the early days of this academic year, there have been less people involved in these rallies. I hate to even call them rallies, Joe. They're like riots. Like, let's not credit them as rallies. Let's not call these activists or antagonists. That being said, there have been less people involved, Joe, but the intensity is even higher. So the kind of rhetoric is even more charged. The tactics are even more sort of combustible. I think we're like a mat stroke away From real violence. Now, by the way, Joe, in the past month, since classes started, we tracked, I think we've got about half a dozen assaults, anti-Jewish assaults. We're representing students at Pitt, at Michigan, I think at Ohio State, who've been victimized and assaulted in just the past four to five weeks.

AI assessment note: “there have been less people involved, Joe, but the intensity is even higher.”

Q the Jewish people against the Jewish quotas. Obviously these were things that were keeping us out of Harvard and Yale. I think there was a certain percent you could be Jewish otherwise. So it kept huge numbers out. Um, but, but then, but then today you wouldn't fight for against the Asian quotas and because that's not something as popular. So, so I'm curious. How would you think about that?

A No, I think it's a really good question. Um, I, I think we would fight against quotas. So, you know, I think we took a position on this, uh, Supreme Court case that was up maybe about a year. It was before the Supreme Court about a year ago on, uh, perceived discrimination against Asian American applicants at Harvard. I think, you know, without going into all the details of the case, I think it was kind of really on the borderline. But this organization, ADL, is against quotas. This organization will not support the idea of quotas that repress Asian Americans or Jewish Americans or Black Americans. You can forget it. I think the thing about that case was, as you think about issues of diversity, is, is race something to consider in a holistic view of diversity. Um, and we think there's merit to that, but I do want to be crystal clear, Joe, like, We don't support quotas. Not, not then, not now, not ever.

AI assessment note: “I think we would fight against quotas. [...] this organization, ADL, is against quotas.”

Q was interesting. You went on Al Sharpton's show and called for a corporate boycott of Facebook for not censoring pro-Trump ads, and then briefly tried to pause advertising on Twitter a couple years later as well. It seems like you've moved back from those positions now, or what do you think about, about calling for boycotts, you know, for people who, for not censoring Trump and that sort of thing?

A Well, let's step back. So So a couple things. So number one, um, I don't think I'm partisan. It's certainly true that I work for President Clinton, President Obama, and I'm proud of my public service. But on the other hand, my job here, as I was telling you before, isn't to play for the red team, the blue team is to play for the Jewish team and for the human team. I think my job is called balls and strikes. So I regularly call out people on from the Republican Party, the Democratic Party, you know, and I often get criticized for that, right? The left thinks I'm too conservative. The right thinks I'm too liberal. I really think if you look at the expanse of our track record at the end of the day, we're doing what we think is right. Not, you know, weighing in this way or that way. Now that being said, And by the way, I'll say one other thing, if I might. I think part of the reason why we're in this fix is because so much of our society and its cultural sources, universities, media have been sort of seized by this kind of, you know, this, uh, this oppressor oppressed kind of model. And I think when we get forced to play in the oppression Olympics.

AI assessment note: “Well, let's step back. So So a couple things. So number one, um, I don't think I'm partisan.”