By Robin Dishman in San Diego
I attended a conversation between Oren Segal, ADL’s senior vice president for counter-extremism and intelligence, and Father Brent Kruger, pastor of St. Therese of Carmel Catholic Church. I found their exchange highly educational and moving. There were approximately 150-200 people in attendance.
Many of the attendees were prominent members of San Diego including: the San Diego Police chief, San Diego District attorney, UCSD Chancellor and Vice Chancellors and others from the Catholic Diocese and Cathedral High.
The ADL was founded in 1913 and has not changed its mission to protect, advocate, educate, and litigate when interventions have not been successful. Antisemitism is at the heart of the ADL’s mission. The mission is to stop and halt unfair treatment of Jewish people and all people. The goal of the conversation as stated by both speakers was to, “give hope and knowledge on strategies to fight hate.”
Segal said that he has a team of 50+ data scientists and engineers online every day to detect and get ahead of attacks and minimize the impact of hatred.
He stated that people who perpetrate mass causality attacks are usually motivated by ideologies that combine all forms of hatred together. They are not usually focused on/or members of one form of hate. They usually have fantasies of violence and are venerated as saints or heroes in the online hate spaces.
Many websites are focused on hate and violence in and of itself as the driving concept for their viewers and online audience. Unfortunately, many young people find a community and sense of belonging in these spaces and know they will never be forgotten by the users. They find meaning in engaging with others in violent acts. They usually do not harbor hate for a particular group, but many groups.
Segal also reviewed there are online influencers that promote hatred that animates violence. The ADL assists online companies to identify the algorithms, codes, symbols, and other tools used by platforms to communicate hate.
Both speakers stressed how important it is to teach young users to recognize and identify those who promote hatred and be critical thinkers. Responsible adults, parental figures, educators, etc. must give the context the young users need to fully understand what they are seeing online. Both speakers emphasized that hate is a problem for us all.
Father Kruger stated that, “AI cannot replace our moral compass. Many use AI and shift the responsibility of moral decisions which is called, intellectual and moral offloading.”
Segal reviewed the role of social media, saying that AI can be positive or negative in its influence. No AI platform should be telling people how to commit mass casualty attacks.
He also reviewed that 80% of people under 16 years of age get world views and news through Tic Tok. There are many hate platforms on Tik Tok which could be used to teach love and compassion, and hope.
Kruger said that teaching the alternative to hate is key. The educational system can give young people the tools to combat hate by focusing on the human values of dignity, civil discourse, and the inherent worth of humanity.
The second portion of this conversation was a question-and-answer period.
One question posed to Segal was about the Democratic Socialists of America. The modern DSA party has put antizionism front and center. They do not believe the state of Israel should exist. They are using Israel as a,“wedge” issue. He gave an excellent example of antisemitism. A group may peacefully demonstrate against the state of Israel without a problem as covered by the First Amendment. However, when a group demonstrates against Israel in front of a synagogue that is antisemitism. The action of ascribing a state’s action against a religion is antisemitism. He also reviewed that it is a reasonable expectation for social media to do everything they can to stop violence and hate online.
Both speakers addressed a question regarding the factors fueling hate in our society. They reviewed that socio/politico factors and misinformation are the conditions that make this happen. Democracies are good for communities that may be targeted. When democracies start to fray and hate is viewed as a form of entertainment, people start looking for others to blame. This society rewards people for blaming others rather than taking responsibility for their own actions
Segal also answered a question about the horseshoe theory. He gave the example of Tucker Carlson on the right and Hasan Piker on the left who have extremely similar rhetoric. He also encouraged the political parties and groups to clean their own houses by talking with like-minded individuals and educating against hate.
Both speakers reviewed the importance of having younger people reach out to their cohort and educate against hate and promote understanding and compassion.
The ADL has a program called, “No Place for Hate” that is currently in 133 schools in San Diego County. It is a peer-taught program that focuses on the values of kindness, respect and forming a safe and tolerant society without bullying.
The last question addressed the antisemitism in the professional world including organizations, boards, unions and the workplace. Antisemitism has become normalized. Segal said that as a result of antisemitic normalization in the entertainment industry, pro-Israel members are shunned, people are refused healthcare, etc. These actions become a civil rights issue and rules need to be developed and the organizations need to be held accountable for their actions.
The closing message given by both speakers stressed hope and the importance of interfaith and community actions to fight hate in all of its forms.
If you would like to get more information on the Anti-Defamation League please contact: ADL.org. If you would like to have the “No Place for Hate” program come to your children’s school, please contact the ADL.
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Robin Dishman is a freelance writer based in San Diego.