Top ADL civil rights lay leader quits, accusing group of being ‘useful idiot’ for Trump

JTA — The former top litigation volunteer at the Anti-Defamation League is making public his scorching resignation letter from the group, in the latest sign of Jewish discontent over the organization’s shifts during the second Trump administration.

Joe Berman, who chaired the ADL’s National Legal Affairs Committee from 2018 to 2022 and who volunteered in other capacities until this year, says in an interview he left because the venerated civil rights group had become a “useful idiot” for the Trump administration by failing to respond aggressively to antisemitism on the right.

“Whether intentionally or ignorantly, ADL is providing cover to people who intend great harm to our nation,” Berman says in his letter resigning from two national and one regional leadership bodies. Berman sent the letter in March and is making it public now for the first time through the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

Voicing a perspective that is common among liberal opponents of Trump, Berman argued that the Trump administration has used the pretext of alleged antisemitism to impose penalties on universities and arrest non-citizens.

“Jews and the fight against antisemitism are being cynically used to advance an authoritarian, anti-democratic agenda,” he wrote. “For ADL’s national leadership to not recognize these clear and present dangers is inexplicable.”

Berman adds, ”Make no mistake: this will not end well, especially for Jewish Americans.”

In a response to Berman’s letter, an ADL spokesperson reiterated the argument that CEO Jonathan Greenblatt laid out in a recent op-ed: that during a time of dramatically increased antisemitism, shifting focus and resources away from other societal challenges is only appropriate.