Anti-Defamation League redirects Trump’s donations to fund anti-bullying programs

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Troubled by the “ugly” rhetoric of Republicam presidential front-runner Donald Trump, the Anti-Defamation League announced that it would redirect the mogul’s past donations to fund anti-bullying and anti-bias education programs. “In the past decade or so, Mr. Trump and his foundation have contributed a total of $56,000 to our organization. These undoubtedly were sincere gifts,” the Jewish organization’s CEO, Jonathan Greenblatt, wrote in a Time op-ed published Sunday. “But in light of the recent campaign, we have decided to redirect the total amount of funds that he contributed to ADL over the years specifically into anti-bias education programs that address exactly the kind of stereotyping and scapegoating that have been injected into this political season,” he said. Mr. Greenblatt made the announcement before Mr. Trump’s scheduled remarks Monday evening at the annual policy conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. “In light of Trump’s penchant to slander minorities, slur refugees, dismiss First Amendment protections and cheer on violence, some in the Jewish community have said that Trump should not be invited to speak or that attendees should walk out during his remarks in protest,” Mr. Greenblatt said. “This is not surprising, as the Jewish community has long placed a premium on promoting values of tolerance and building a pluralistic and more diverse society — values that seem at odds with Trump’s message on the campaign trail.” “And yet, our history, our faith and our values teach us that we cannot sit idly by when others are singled out for derision and when intolerance is fed,” he wrote. Mr. Greenblatt called on other Jewish groups to also redirect any money that may have been given to them by Mr. Trump and use it for “similar initiatives to combat hate, promote tolerance, and build a stronger American community.” “We are taking this step to demonstrate that, even as the campaign has surfaced ugly rhetoric, we can reach higher. Even as his campaign has mainstreamed intolerance, we can push back on the hate and evoke our better angels not just with words, but with deeds,” he wrote. “Whether Trump is successful in the voting booth is up to voters, not non-partisan non-profit organizations like ADL. However, no matter how the election ends up, we need to look to the future, assess how we as a country lost our way during this campaign season, and work to inoculate the next generation from intolerance. That work begins now. I hope others will join us in that effort.”