Names: Evan Farber & Andrew Levinson

Communities: Upper East Side/ New Rochelle

Occupations: Attorney at Reed Smith /VP Business Affairs at The Corcoran Group

ADL Roles:  Chairs, Interfaith & Intergroup Committee at ADL New York

 

 

 

 

1. How did you get involved with ADL? 

Evan: I was invited to several Lawyers Division briefings by a friend who had been invited to attend.  The programs were very interesting, but most attendees were far more senior. After a few briefings, a law school classmate who was also present suggested we start a Young Lawyers Division to bring the same quality programming to our peers.  ADL eagerly welcomed this suggestion and turned it into a reality.  ADL later encouraged us to become involved in other ways, including the Glass Leadership program, Next Generation activities, and the NY Regional Board’s Interfaith / Intergroup Committee.

Andrew: In 2007, I moved back to New York after several years in Boston and Washington, DC.  I wanted to work with an organization that fought, not just against anti-Semitism, but for civil rights and fair treatment for all.  My brother-in-law Michael Merlin has been an active member of ADL in the southeast region for years.  He put me in touch with several ADL staff members in New York and I quickly started to avail myself of the various ADL lectures and programs.  Within a year or two, I joined the New York regional board.

2. What does ADL mean to you?

Evan: ADL is literally “the best of both” in two critical ways.  First, it fuses concern for the Jewish community with a broader concern for combatting bigotry and prejudice against any minority group.  This unique combination of the universal and the particularistic approach speaks to me powerfully and is part of why I am passionate about ADL’s work.  Second, ADL fuses education, advocacy, and direct action on a range of critical issues.  It is this multi-pronged approach — together with a non-partisanship that has enabled ADL to earn immense respect from a range of political and religious viewpoints — that has made ADL so highly effective in its mission.  While there is always more to be done, the world is a far better place because of ADL’s constant efforts, and we cannot take that for granted.

Andrew: ADL employs a multi-pronged strategy to achieve its goals.  It participates in important civil-rights litigation to effect change through the courts.  It educates members of the Jewish community to ensure adequate understanding of those key issues that impact the security of the Jewish people around the world.  It maintains an impressive knowledge base to train law enforcement personnel on dangerous hate groups and their evolving methods.  And it reaches out to the non-Jewish community to foster mutual understanding and appreciation. These efforts reflect ADL’s commitment to the active pursuit of its mission statement.  ADL is more than just a cause to which I contribute financially.  It’s a resource through which I stay engaged in the issues that matter to me.

3. As a leader in the ADL community, how would you advise others to have a local impact in the fight against hate?

Evan: Join ADL!  It’s always easier to make an impact when you join forces with a widely respected leader in the field.  But even short of that, ADL has taught me that the best way to combat hateful speech is with more and “better” speech — so staying attuned to current events and speaking up, whether directly or to the press, are powerful tools for ensuring that bigotry is given no sanction.

Andrew: Members benefit most when they treat ADL as a two-way street.  When a local issue arises, bring it to ADL’s attention.  If it’s already on ADL’s radar, see what efforts are already underway to address it.  Through ADL, we have the unique opportunity to amplify our individual voices and effect greater change. We also remain members of our communities outside of ADL, and we can become thought-leaders in those communities on the issues ADL tackles.  Just as  ADL advocates in the corridors of government, law enforcement, and educational institutions, its individual members can advocate at the grassroots level and thereby shape the public discourse on emerging trends in civil rights, the place of Israel in the world, and a whole host of other timely issues.