Origin
Founded in October 1913 by Sigmund Livingston, the ADL's charter states,
"The immediate object of the League is to stop, by appeals to reason and conscience and, if necessary, by appeals to law, the defamation of the Jewish people. Its ultimate purpose is to secure justice and fair treatment to all citizens alike and to put an end forever to unjust and unfair discrimination against and ridicule of any sect or body of citizens."
Livingston established the ADL in direct response to the 1913 trial of Leo Frank, a Jewish factory manager and B'nai B'rith chapter president in Georgia, convicted of —and, posthumously, pardoned for— murdering a 13 year old female employee.
Read more about this topic: Anti-Defamation League
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