Correction to ADL Response on OC Task Force
Posted by: Jonathan Constantine | 04/02/2008 11:11 PM
These are the words of Harry Wyle, who is responding to the false claims of Kevin O'Grady of the (ADL) Anti-Defamation League. O'Grady charged that former UCI Student Phil Schlesinger's views represented the OC Independent Task Force Investigating Antisemitism.
Dear colleagues and friends,
On February 18th the UCI SPME forwarded to you the response of ADL's Orange County/Long Beach Region Director Kevin O'Grady to the report of the Orange County Task Force on Anti-Semitism. In that response Dr. O'Grady also responded to a talk at Temple Bat Yahm on February 13th by former UCI student Phil Schlesinger. He referred to Mr. Schlesinger as a member of the Task Force, and to Mr. Schlesinger's recommendation in his talk that Jews discontinue donations to the ADL, Hillel and the Jewish Federation. Since then the Task Force, Mr. Schlesinger and Dr. O'Grady have all sent out corrections to the effect that Mr. Schlesinger is not and has never been a member of the Task Force, that the views Mr. Schlesinger presented were not representing those of any organization, and that the Task Force never advocated the withholding of funds to ADL or any Jewish agencies either in its report or otherwise. All the parties have asked UCI SPME to send out this correction to you, which we hereby do.
Henry Wyle, for UCI Chapter of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East (SPME)
"But I have encountered the group you claim to be apart of at UCI, and I know them...
I object to Mr. Jonathan Constantine misusing my remarks about the ADL’s Kevin O’Grady to create a false impression. Mr. Constantine cited my remarks as evidence that Dr. O’Grady had made a “false claim” that Mr. Schlesinger was a member of the OC Task Force. That is a complete distortion of what occurred. Dr. O’Grady made the mistake of assuming that Mr. Schlesinger was a member of the Task Force, based on Mr. Schlesinger’s remarks at a public meeting. It was an easy mistake to make (I attended the meeting too). As soon as Dr. O’Grady learned of his mistake he issued a public correction. That is not the same thing as making a “claim” that Mr. Schlesinger is a member of the Task Force. It is even more remote from making a “false claim”, which suggests dishonesty. Whatever Mr. Constantine’s beefs may be with the ADL or Dr. O’Grady, he should stick to the facts.
Henry Wyle
Jonathan does stick to the facts. I didn't read/hear about O'Grady's public correction. Everyone knows that Schlesinger was a student in the Jewish community. Students were obviously not involved in the Task Force on Anti-Semitism. It was a silly mistake to make.
I trust the students, like Jonathan, who aren't involved with any of the organizations. They aren't on anyone's payroll and are honest... whereas everyone else tries to cover their tracks and protect their reputations.
Anyway, the ADL hasn't be constructive at all. Most of these organizations haven't been helpful & continue to deny a problem exists at UCI when it obviously does.
Quoting Henry Wyle's comment above:
"Whatever Mr. Constantine’s beefs may be with the ADL or Dr. O’Grady, he should stick to the facts."
Hmmm...Let's look at what Mr. Wyle also wrote in his commentary:
"As soon as Dr. O’Grady learned of his mistake he issued a public correction."
Let's look at the timeline:
February 18, 2008:
As part of a SPME email, Mr. Wyle quotes Director O'Grady's (and thus the ADL's) entire official response to my February 13th comments as well as the February 12th report issued by the Orange County Task Force on Anti-Semitism.
February 20:
As Director O'Grady's February 18th response is full of inaccuracies and half-truths, I issue an email response to Mr. Wyle, CC'ing Director O'Grady, where I lay out the real facts.
February 24:
The RedCounty.com blog posts both:
Director O'Grady's response as quoted in the February 18th SPME email:
http://www.redcounty.com/rccampuswatch/2008/02/antidefamation-league-responds/
as well as my response from February 20th:
http://www.redcounty.com/rccampuswatch/2008/02/antidefamation-league-ordered/
March 8, 2008:
I finally receive Mr. Wyle finally issues via a SPME email a "correction" in his own words as to what he says Director O'Grady sent to him. There is no ADL logo. There is no quotation of Director O'Grady's own words like in the initial February 18th SPME email. Director O'Grady is not in the To or CC list.
February 18 to March 8 is 19 days - nearly three weeks - from the date Director O'Grady official response was published by Mr. Wyle to SPME until I received a correction - and a digested correction at that one.
How, Mr. Wyle, is that:
"As soon as Dr. O’Grady learned of his mistake he issued a public correction."???
Perhaps, Mr. Wyle, you yourself "should stick to the facts."