The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) announced Monday that the donations made by Donald Trump to the group are being redirected to anti-bias and anti-bullying campaigns.
Trump has donated $56,000 over the last decade to the organization, according to a statement given by chief executive officer Jonathan Greenblatt.
The ADL was formed in 1913 as a group to combat anti-semitism. However, given Trump’s rhetoric, Greenblatt said the group “can reach higher”:
“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.”
The statement admits that the ADL, in the past, has praised the Republican frontrunner for his philanthropy, but in light of how he’s changed, the organization has had to reconsider how to approach his contributions.
Money from Trump will be diverted into groups like No Place For Hate, a group set up by the ADL that enables schools in 10 regions across the United States bolster their anti-bias and anti-bullying work.
Greenblatt is also critical of “Trump’s penchant to slander minorities, slur refugees, dismiss First Amendment protections and cheer on violence.”
He then calls on other Jewish groups and non-profit, non-partisan groups to divert Trump’s money in a similar way “to combat hate, promote tolerance, and build a stronger American community.”
The statement comes hours before Trump is set to speak at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee Policy Conference, where all the presidential candidates (aside from Bernie Sanders) are scheduled to speak at the conference.
Greenblatt ended the statement with a swiping commentary on the election cycle and a call to arms moving forward:
“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.”
“I hope others will join us in that effort.”
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