ADL head advocates tolerance

Howard Berkowitz has such a high-profile job that he speaks regularly with leaders like Yasser Arafat, Bill Clinton and Jesse Jackson. Yestserday, the national chairman of the Anti-Defamation League took some time off from his schedule to discuss anti-Semitism with about 50 Penn students and staff members. In a talk co-sponsored by Civic House, Penn Hillel and the Greenfield Intercultural Center, Berkowitz discussed, "Making a Difference: Fighting Racism, Anti-Semitism and All Forms of Bigotry." The ADL is a human rights organization formed 87 years ago by a group of Jewish leaders in Chicago in order to protect Jews from discrimination. "I have always been a believer that people should give back to the community," he told the crowd, which included people of varied ethnicities and racial backgrounds. Through the ADL, Berkowitz has worked to promote tolerance and eradicate anti-Semitism. The ADL now works with the NAACP and different Latino and Asian groups. "If there is any racist or bigotrist action, we will speak up and stand together," said Berkowitz, a Wharton graduate. Berkowitz also discussed the Holocaust and its lasting effects. He noted that there were only two countries where 100 percent of the Jews were saved during World War II. "Where people said, 'No, why should we hurt Jews?' the Jewish population was saved," he said. "Stand up and say, 'It cannot happen here.'" A member of the audience then asked about the proposed Holocaust memorial in Berlin. Berkowitz explained that the mayor of Berlin did not want the memorial erected. Berkowitz himself traveled to Berlin in hopes of reasoning with the mayor. "I am an activist," Berkowitz said. "Silence in my opinion is not an answer." In addition, the ADL is currently involved in a highly publicized attempt to get the acquittal of 13 Jews accused of espionage in Iran. Berkowitz said he considered the conditions of the trial to be unfair -- the prosecutors and the judges are the same, there is no jury and the defense attorneys are not allowed to talk to their clients. "If Iran carries this forward, they will be ostracized by the world community," he said. Berkowitz also discussed several educational initiatives the ADL has undertaken to promote tolerance and understanding. In one program, students travel to Washington, D.C. to undergo a tolerance-training program and visit, among other sites, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Several members of the audience later said they were quite impressed by Berkowitz's commitment. "I think he is a phenomenal leader and activist," said Rachel Saifer, a student in the Graduate School of Social Work. "We have a lot we can learn from him." "I think the work of the ADL is some of the most important in the country," added College sophomore Ari Alexander, a Jewish Renaissance Project fellow. "For those of us engaged in such work, it is important for us to hear about what they do."

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