As the Anti-Defimation League turns 100, the FL Chapter reached out to the entire community to create art based on its mission statement.  The Rickie Report was privileged to send out a Call to Artists for this exhibit.  In recent years, the ADL has sponsored Art Contests with a focus on Anti-Bullying as well as other discrimination issues.  This article shares the names of the 36 artists whose work has been accepted and will be auctioned off to benefit the programs ADL offers.  We hope you will learn more about ADL’s mission and read the details of this exhibit at the Armory Art Center.  This promises to be a powerful exhibit! 

ArtWorks is the first Florida annual art exhibition, fundraiser and silent auction highlighting the mission and impact of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).  Presented by ADL Florida’s Wolff Leadership, ArtWorks is an art exhibition, fundraiser and silent auction that will highlight the impact of ADL as seen through the eyes of today’s leading and emerging artists.

Each piece of art work – painting, photography, mixed media or sculpture – focuses on one or more aspects of ADL’s mission. Each artist was chosen to create a piece of art that shares their perspective on the mission of ADL. All artwork will be included in a silent auction where guests can bid on the work.

The Anti-Defamation League was founded in 1913 “to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.” Now the nation’s premier civil rights/human relations agency, ADL fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects civil rights for all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=BuRvfrhnsRI

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry in the U.S. and abroad through information, education, legislation, and advocacy. ADL serves as a resource for government, media, law enforcement, educators and the public. The League:

• scrutinizes and exposes extremists and hate groups
• monitors hate on the Internet
• provides expertise on domestic and international terrorism
• probes the roots of hatred
• develops and delivers educational programs
• fosters interfaith/intergroup relations
• mobilizes communities to stand up against bigotry
• defends the security of Israel and Jews worldwide
• maintains a comprehensive and up-to-date Web site

Anti-Semitism, Racism And Bigotry

• In the forefront of the fight against anti-Semitism, challenges American and world leaders and the United Nations to take action against anti-Jewish bigotry and violence, and exposes and condemns attacks on Jews
• Through a comprehensive Web site and publications, provides the knowledge and tools to counteract anti-Semitism, hatred and intolerance
• America’s prime resource for information on and responses to bigotry
• Collects and carefully evaluates a vast amount of information on anti-Semites, racists and extremists and provides a yearly analysis of anti-Jewish activities in an annual Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents
• Through the polling of American and other nations’ attitudes toward Jews, remains in the forefront of gauging anti-Semitism at home and abroad

Extremism

• Monitors, analyzes and exposes an entire range of extremists from the obscure to the more prominent.  Issues Extremism in America: A Guide, an encyclopedia of American extremists that is continually updated

• Law Enforcement Agency Resource Network is a comprehensive, frequently updated informational resource for law enforcement personnel engaged in combating hate groups, hate crimes and hate symbols

Identifying And Combating Hate

Leading the efforts to deter and counter hate-motivated crimes, the League drafted model hate crimes legislation in 1981, covering all hate crimes.  Forty-five states have since enacted laws based on or similar to the model, which was unanimously deemed constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1993.

For more than 13 years, ADL led a broad coalition of groups working in Washington, DC, to enact the federal Matthew Shepard James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act (HCPA), which was signed into law in October 2009.

• As part of a joint effort, formed Partners Against Hate to provide outreach, education and training in techniques to prevent juvenile hate-related behavior
• Maintains an extensive online visual database of extremist symbols, logos and tattoos

Education

• Works to further the mission of combating hate through education.  Its award-winning A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE® Institute programs provide anti-bias education and training with curriculums and materials available for pre-K through university students, community groups, corporations, civic associations, religious organizations and law enforcement agencies

• Supports Holocaust awareness and education through its Braun Holocaust Institute and the Hidden Child Foundation/ADL®

Religious Freedom

• Regards the separation of church and state as essential to preserving religious freedom in our increasingly pluralistic society.  Engaged in action to safeguard religious liberty throughout society, including in the workplace and classroom

Interfaith Affairs

• Builds and maintains relationships and dialogue with international, national and local religious leaders of all faiths. Monitors and attempts to resolve interfaith issues, and helps educate non-Jewish religious leaders about Jewish history, theology and philosophy
• Through the Bearing Witness™ program, a partnership with The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Archdiocese of Washington, provides Catholic school educators with the training and resources necessary to teach their students about anti-Semitism and the Holocaust

Israel

• Supports the Jewish state by advocating for Israel, and explaining political and security issues and the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian/Israel-Arab conflict with U.S. policymakers, the media and the public through programs, publications and contact with officials
• Jerusalem Office hosts fact-finding missions to Israel and provides expertise on anti-bias training for Israeli educational, military and law enforcement institutions

International Affairs

• Monitors and combats global anti-Semitism and extremism and promotes the security and well-being of Jewish communities around the world.  Provides expertise to governments and non-government institutions worldwide
• A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE® Institute anti-bias training programs exist in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, Italy and the Netherlands, reaching educators, and law enforcement professionals.  Youth in Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Austria and the United Kingdom have participated in peer-training programs
• Maintains an office in Israel

 For more information about the event and register go to the web site: www.adl.org/FloridaArtWorksADL  or contact Patricia Gottenger 561-512-0073