Highlights from the Tenth New York Glass Leadership Institute

The Glass Leadership Institute covers the following topics:

• ADL Overview and History
• Education: Combating Hatred, Diversity Training, Anti-Bias Education, Confronting Anti-Semitism
• International Affairs: Foreign Policy, Israel & the Middle East, European Jewry
• Civil Rights: Church/State Separation, Religious Freedom, Policy, Legislative Advocacy, Faith-based issues
• Extremism/Hate Crimes & Bias Incidents: Domestic Terrorism, Hate on the Internet
• Holocaust Education & Intergroup Activity
• Development
• Current Affairs

Current Affairs: Following the Israeli Defense Force’s (IDF) Operation Cast Lead in December and January, 2009, the Glass Leadership Institute discussed media coverage of the events in Gaza. Participants explored how ADL responds to news coverage while maintaining the organization’s credibility. News clips from local New York media reporting on Israel were screened as examples of balanced reporting.

International Affairs: Dr. Joel Kotek, an expert on anti-Semitic cartoons in the Arab and European media, briefed the Glass Leadership Institute in November, 2008. Dr. Kotek – who was en route to his presentation at ADL’s National Commission Meeting in Los Angeles – used cartoons as a vehicle to trace the history of anti-Semitic themes from the 15th century onwards. Beginning with the blood libel and ending with the myths of Jewish control during the Holocaust - a theme that has endured to the present - Dr. Kotek explained how anti-Semitic stereotypes continue through multiple eras. At the end of the evening, Kotek signed copies of his book, Cartoons and Extremism: Israel and the Jews in Arab and Western Media.

Law Enforcement: Participants visited NYPD Headquarters and met with members of the NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force. Michael Osgood, Deputy Inspector of the Hate Crime Task Force, talked with the group about bias-motivated crimes in New York City and his unit’s frequent partnership with ADL. An ADL expert discussed the activity of hate groups in New York, highlighting ADL’s relationship with the NYPD and law enforcement in general.

National Leadership Conference: Eighteen leaders representing the Glass Leadership Institute in New York attended the Shana Amy Glass National Leadership Conference in Washington, DC. Joined by over four hundred ADL lay leaders and staff from around the United States, participants heard from administration officials, ambassadors, Congressional representatives, and journalists.
Speakers included U.S. Homeland Security Secretary, Janet Napolitano; White House Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel; syndicated Chicago Tribune Columnist Clarence Page; and Israeli Ambassador to the United States, Sallai Meridor. Members of the New York delegation met with aides from the Congressional offices of Yvette Clarke, Carolyn Maloney, Jerrold Nadler and Nydia Velazquez. The delegates discussed core ADL legislative issues during these meetings, including support for Israel and the fight against terror, improving the federal response to hate violence, countering rising anti-Semitism worldwide, and comprehensive immigration reform.