Don’t Dismantle the Watchdogs — Pluralism Is Still Our Best Defense

In a recent 92NY talk, Bret Stephens advocated dismantling the ADL and redirecting funding into Jewish community organizations. However, abandoning efforts to shape public institutions and broader public opinion would leave the Jewish community more isolated and vulnerable. As a 2025 graduate of UC Berkeley with a Master of Public Affairs and an attorney with nearly 15 years of legal experience mostly in government service, I was able to see the challenges fighting antisemitism in higher education up close.

The discussions around civil rights organizations have focused on the effectiveness of antisemitism education. However, what hasn’t been discussed is that Jewish civil rights organizations’ biggest value comes from pressuring our institutions to change. Influence within the government, educational system and civic institutions are what shape public opinion and what is acceptable behavior – not targeting committed antisemites with education.

Civil rights organizations addressing institutional reform are the best approach because it protects victims and has more effective results. An individual coming forward with an antisemitic incident often faces professional and personal risk, which watchdogs are better equipped to absorb. Watchdogs can organize multiple incidents into patterns to show discrimination, while protecting the victim’s privacy. To maximize effectiveness, they organize consistent litigation, legislation and media strategy. Even with the best documentation and a clear breach of rules, organizations like UC Berkeley are resistant to change without pressure from watchdog groups working with the government.

Although institutional change can be slow, Jewish organizations fighting antisemitism have made progress. Earlier this month, the Brandeis Law Center settled an antisemitism lawsuit with UC Berkeley that resulted in the adoption of the IHRA definition of antisemitism, commitments not to exclude Zionists and tightening civil rights compliance, accountability and training. If Jewish civil rights organizations can find agreement with universities with a tradition of progressive activism and free speech advocacy like UC Berkeley, a more universal adoption of effective antisemitism standards that balances free speech is achievable.

Another recent example of success is with education legislation where Jewish community organizations helped pass California AB 715, which among other things appoints an antisemitism coordinator, creates investigative and enforcement authority and requires K-12 teachers to teach professionally with factual information, rather than their personal opinions. Jewish organizations helped fight against court challenges to this new law. They also brought lawsuits on behalf of students in K-12 education, helped students file Office of Civil Rights complaints and worked with the government to ensure the rights of Jewish students.

In San Diego, earlier this month a broad coalition of Jewish organizations including StandWithUs, AJC and the ADL helped persuade the City Council and Mayor to adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism. In San Jose, California, after a recent attack on two Israeli Americans for speaking Hebrew at a restaurant, the Bay Area Jewish Community Relations Council and Jewish Silicon Valley reached out to the mayor, congressperson and the district attorney’s office to ensure a proper response and raise awareness. Jewish community organizations cultivating these relationships takes time, but the efforts pay off when the community needs to coordinate a response and rally public opinion. Funding community organizations to fight antisemitism is the reason that examples like these happen and ensures a higher quality of life for the Jewish community.

Although promoting discussion and understanding on an individual basis is usually beneficial, debates with committed ideologues are rarely productive. Some enter these conversations not to exchange ideas but to legitimize predetermined conclusions — insisting on defining antisemitism outside the experience of the Jewish people who face it. Many state they support Jewish religious observances and Holocaust education as rhetorical framing to appear pro-Jewish while delegitimizing Jewish ethnicity, national origin and connection to Israel — key identity markers for the overwhelming majority of Jews. This is usually to promote their political or foreign policy goals.

Providing more education to individuals determined to reach predetermined conclusions is not the solution. Having Jewish civil rights organizations ensure that our institutions do not tolerate antisemitism and have proper compliance and training for faculty, administrators, and students is the answer.

Critics of the Jewish civil rights organizations may have some legitimate concerns about mission drift — but this is solved with accountability, not defunding.

After the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks, most of these organizations already have an increased focus on fighting rising antisemitism. There is consensus on the need to focus on fighting antisemitism right now and it serves no one’s interest to focus on internal divisions. However, we should also remember Hillel’s balance between caring for others and ourselves, not just because it’s strategic for coalition building, but because it’s the right thing to do.

According to a fall 2025 AJC Survey, nearly one-third of Jews were victims of antisemitism in 2025 and one out of every 33 Jews was physically assaulted. Reducing funding is just about the worst possible response to soaring antisemitism.

While the fight against antisemitism should never become more prominent than an active Jewish community, fighting antisemitism is necessary to ensure a thriving Jewish community in America. Donors funding the ADL and similar groups are essential to ensuring access to opportunities, education, and pluralism in America – rather than Jewish silos.

David Rodstein is a former government attorney with nearly 15 years of experience as a licensed attorney and a 2025 graduate of UC Berkeley’s Master of Public Affairs program.