Top Ten Moments of Inspiration and Hope in 2022

Top Ten Moments of Inspiration and Hope in 2022


As 2022 comes to an end and we ready ourselves for 2023, ADL looks back on the moments from the last year that gave us some light, hope and inspiration. In our work to combat antisemitism and all forms of hate, we celebrated many of these moments as they advanced the fight against hate and prejudice and reaffirmed why our mission is so important in these challenging times.
In the last year we witnessed many heartening and historical events: The confirmation of the first Black woman Supreme Court justice, landmark pieces of legislation that codified gay marriage into law and made lynching a federal hate crime, the enduring bravery of the Ukrainian and the Iranian people fighting for freedom against tyranny -- just to name a few.

Here’s our list of the Top Ten most inspiring moments of 2022, as selected and curated by members of ADL’s staff, in chronological order.

The bravery demonstrated by the leadership and people of Ukraine

On February 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, setting off the largest armed conflict and refugee crisis in Europe since World War II. With American and allied support, Ukraine has mounted a strong defense despite being vastly outnumbered, but Russian bombing and shelling continues to pummel Ukrainian cities and infrastructure inflicting enormous civilian casualties. In the 10 months of brutal conflict following Russia’s invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emerged as one of the most notable and heroic world leaders in his efforts to protect Ukraine’s sovereignty as a nation and has led his people and forces to turn the tide of the war. ADL has closely monitored the situation on the ground, particularly the impact on the Ukrainian Jewish community and we have voiced our solidarity in support for the Ukrainian people.

Britain's Angel of Odessa: Father-of-Ten aid worker from North London rescues 1,000 Jewish refugees

One of the most inspiring Jewish stories to emerge from the war in Ukraine came from Tikva Children’s Home in Odessa. In a two-week humanitarian effort, aid worker Jeremy Posen braved the war in Ukraine and brought more than 1,000 Jews to safety himself, including 270 orphans. Together with their caregivers and hundreds of other children, they carefully navigated areas hit by Russian artillery and air strikes and were held up by countless roadblocks. After successfully arriving to safety in Romania, Posen went back to Ukraine to help more refugees escape from harm’s way. This effort is just one inspiring story to come out of Ukraine as Jewish humanitarian groups around the world partnered together channeling $73 million dollars from fifty nongovernmental organizations.

Historian Deborah Lipstadt confirmed as envoy to combat antisemitism after push from Jewish groups

As acts of antisemitism increased at home and abroad in 2021, President Biden nominated Deborah E. Lipstadt for the post of Antisemitism Envoy at the State Department. Lipstadt was confirmed by the Senate on March 30, 2022 as the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, with the rank of Ambassador. As one of the foremost experts on antisemitism in the world, she is responsible for leading efforts to advance U.S. foreign policy to counter antisemitism around the globe. In the process of her confirmation ADL joined other Jewish groups in advocating for Congress and the Biden Administration for her to fill the role with more than 7,500 ADL volunteers sending close to 25,000 emails to their Senators and meeting with 35 Senate offices in support of Dr. Lipstadt’s confirmation.

The U.S. makes lynching a federal hate crime with signing of Emmett Till Antilynching Act

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https://www.adl.org/resources/blog/top-ten-moments-inspiration-and-hope-2022

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