(JNS) The Anti-Defamation League announced on Thursday that it has acquired Jewish investor network JLens, in a bid to become more prominent in corporate advocacy.
The ADL, whose stated mission to fight anti-Semitism has often been carried out through political lobbying, media campaigns and partnership building, said it feels it needs to enter a new front, with a seat in corporate boardrooms.
“You think about the ADL lobbying Congress or making a pilgrimage to this town or to that city council. But I think we’re living in a world where so much of our lives is mediated by brands, where there’s a high degree of cynicism about elected officials and political parties and the news media,” Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO and national director of the ADL, told JNS. “And so influencers- often in the form of brands- are the way people identify and interpret the world.”
JLens, which advises Jewish donors and organizations on values-based investment opportunities, has been at the forefront of exposing BDS practices within the burgeoning ESG (environmental, social and governance) investment movement, whose aim is to advise on and promote socially-conscious corporate investment. JLens manages a $200 million fund, with investments in some of the largest companies in America, providing them a say in their shareholder meetings.
JLens initially brought to public attention alleged anti-Israel bias within the investment ratings system at Sustainalytics, a subsidiary of investment firm Morningstar, which is now under investigation by at least 19 states for potential violations of anti-Israel boycott laws and other practices.
