Fighting the “Tsunami” of Antisemitism: ADL’s Marina Rosenberg on Data, Diplomacy, Iran’s Propaganda—and the Battle for the Online World

In this episode of Tel Aviv Diary, I’m joined by Marina Rosenberg, Senior Vice President for International Affairs at the ADL (Anti-Defamation League)—a former Israeli diplomat whose life and career bridge continents and identities. Born in Buenos Aires and raised on Kibbutz Yechiam in the Galilee, Rosenberg spent more than 16 years in Israel’s Foreign Ministry, serving in multiple postings and ultimately becoming Israel’s ambassador to Chile. She describes what it was like to serve as the first female Israeli ambassador to Chile, and how being a young woman in diplomacy—whether in Latin America or in early, behind-the-scenes engagement with Gulf states years before the Abraham Accords—often proved less of a barrier than outsiders assumed.We then turn to the ADL’s mission and the moment we are living through. Rosenberg explains how the ADL—founded in 1913—works not only in the United States, where it operates through a network of 25 offices, but also internationally across Israel, Europe, and Latin America. She details the organization’s three-pronged approach: security and monitoring, policy advocacy, and education—including programs aimed at empowering Jewish students on campuses and new curricula designed for non-Jewish schools, adapted to local cultures and languages. She also describes the ADL’s emphasis on measurable evidence: data collection, global surveys, and comparative tracking across major Jewish communities through initiatives like the J7 task force.A central theme of our conversation is the transformation of modern antisemitism—especially in the post–October 7 environment—and how online platforms have accelerated radicalization across borders and languages. Rosenberg discusses ADL research on hate online, the limits of regulation, and the alarming vulnerabilities emerging in large language models and other AI tools—alongside the ADL’s work pushing for accountability from tech platforms and for stronger public policy outside the constraints of America’s First Amendment framework. We also explore her argument that the international picture is uneven: while the United States has seen dramatic growth in incidents over the past decade, other countries experienced different trajectories, with sharp escalations in some places only after October 7.The discussion widens to state-linked propaganda and geopolitics. Rosenberg lays out ADL’s view of Iran as a leading exporter not only of terrorism but also antisemitism, including the spread of Spanish-language messaging targeting audiences in Latin America and beyond. She reflects personally on the long shadow of the 1992 Israeli embassy bombing in Buenos Aires and the 1994 AMIA attack, and the continuing demand for accountability decades later. We close on a hard-won note of realism—and hope: the necessity of building coalitions beyond the Jewish community, insisting on moral clarity from political leaders, and asking allies to speak up rather than waiting in silence. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marcschulman.substack.com/subscribe