1960s
Following John F. Kennedy's assassination, ADL republishes A Nation of Immigrants, which he wrote to mark ADL's 45th anniversary while he was still a U.S. Senator.
ADL helps mobilize support for civil rights and voting rights legislation, culminating in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Fair Housing Act of 1968.
Worldwide attention to the capture, trial and execution of Nazi henchman Adolf Eichmann prompts renewed focus on the Holocaust and catalyzes ADL activities to educate about the Holocaust and counter those who deny or diminish it.
In response to the findings of the first volume of the study Christian Beliefs and Anti-Semitism, which documents a strong link between religious teachings and antisemitism, ADL's Interfaith Department works with Vatican officials to help develop the document that ultimately became Nostra Aetate, the Vatican's historic 1965 statement repudiating Jewish guilt in the death of Jesus and denouncing "hatred, persecutions, displays of antisemitism directed against Jews." The statement's adoption at the Second Vatican Council launched a new era of positive relations between Catholics and Jews after many centuries of strain.
The 1967 Six Day War serves as a catalyst for "Dateline Israel," a series of periodic radio reports designed to enhance Americans' understanding of Israeli life. ADL creates study missions to Israel for U.S. lawmakers and other governmental officials.
1970s
The Yom Kippur War in 1973 intensifies ADL's campaign to counter anti-Israel propaganda. The agency exposes and takes the lead in combating the Arab boycott of companies that do business with Israel, leading to the passage of the 1977 and 1978 laws that prohibit American companies from participating in the blacklist.
Using all media at its disposal, ADL exposes Palestinian Liberation Organization and Arab links to terrorism and highlights the hypocrisy of a United Nations General Assembly resolution equating Zionism with racism.
The counteraction leads to the publication of ADL’s The New Anti-Semitism, a book documenting worldwide insensitivity and indifference to a campaign that denies Israel its legitimacy as the Jewish national homeland. ADL expands its work outside the U.S. as it establishes an office in Israel and a regional presence in Europe.
ADL files amicus briefs challenging race-based quotas and preferential treatment as a means for hiring, promotion and college admissions. Concurrently, it collaborates with the U.S. Department of Labor to devise guidelines that are adopted by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance to ensure equality in the hiring of employees and contractors.
In 1977, ADL establishes the International Center for Holocaust Studies (now known as the Braun Holocaust Institute-Glick Center for Holocaust Studies) which becomes one of the nation's first formal Holocaust Education programs - pioneering materials for students and educators to understand the Holocaust and apply its lessons to contemporary issues of prejudice and hate.