Prayer outside Emanuel AME Church
Prayer outside Emanuel AME ChurchReuters

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) responded on Sunday to revelations that Dylann Roof, the racist shooter who last Wednesday gunned down nine African Americans at the historic Emanual African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, had penned a racist, anti-Semitic manifesto in February.

In the manifesto published on the now-defunct website, entitled The Last Rhodesian, he wrote, "unlike many White nationalists, I am of the opinion that the majority of American and European Jews are White. In my opinion the issue with the Jews is not their blood, but their identity.  I think that if we somehow could destroy the Jewish identity, then they wouldnt [sic] cause much of a problem."

The racist murderer added, "the problem is that Jews look White, and in many cases are White, yet they see themselves as minorities. Just like n******, most jews [sic] are always thinking about the fact they are jewish [sic]. The other issue is that they network. If we could somehow turn every jew [sic] blue for 24 hours, I think there would be a mass awakening, because people would be able to see plainly what is going on."

ADL National Director Abraham H. Foxman responded to the revealed manifesto on Sunday, saying that the shooting should be a rallying point for the Jewish and African American communities to join ranks.

Foxman said of Roof based on the statements that "it is clear that he is an individual whose worldview is tainted not only by racism but also by hardcore anti-Semitism and deep-seated loathing of minorities."

"Anti-Semitism has long been a calling card of racists in America," noted the ADL director. "Many of the white supremacists whom Roof seemed to revere are steeped in hatred of blacks, Jews and other minorities. In fact, these hatreds nearly always go hand in hand. It is a reminder that in the mind of the bigot, Jews and other minorities in America are equal threats."

"The threat of white supremacy should not be underestimated. This hateful ideology is a threat to Blacks, Jews, Hispanics and other minorities and all civil society. Good people of all stripes must stand together to drown out hate speech."

Calling for greater unity in the face of tragedy, Foxman said, "this heinous crime is also a reminder that Jews and African-Americans share (a) common cause against a common threat. It is our hope that Dylann Roof’s hateful deeds will not go unanswered and that the Black and Jewish communities and others will work together in the aftermath of this crime to strategize together on common goals, including the passage of an effective hate crime law in South Carolina and a more civil society in which law enforcement plays a role in protecting all citizens from harm."