The ADL was started by B'nai B'rith (a jewish fraternal group similar to the Freemasons) after one of their members, Leo Frank, was tried and convicted of raping and murdering a 13 year old girl. This was was given a fair trial and sentenced to death, but the fraternity pulled some strings and appealed and eventually got it pushed back to life in prison. Enraged by this, the local towns people broke into his cell and lynched him.

This "hate crime" is the core of the ADL's existence and still today they make efforts to clean the name of some pedophile rapist like Frank, claiming he was just a poor victim of bigotry