Source: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution
On August 9, 2000, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution reported that Al Gore has chosen Senator Joseph Lieberman, an Orthodox Jew, to be his running mate in the November election. Lieberman's candidacy gives "credence to polls by the Anti-Defamation League that show a long decline in anti-Semitism. The percentage of strongly anti-Semitic Americans dropped from 29 in 1964 to 12 in 1998. 'Things are getting better,' declares Jay Kaiman, Southeast director of the ADL."
Deborah Lipstadt, a Jewish historian at Emory University, says "I hope I'm right, but I don't see that much anti-Semitism in the country. I think people have just come a long way. I'm not naive enough to think it's all gone away, but I still think it's a whole lot better than it used to be." Another, a pastor at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, is hopeful. "Maybe I'm just sheltered," he says. "I find it incredible the percentage (of strong anti-Semites) could be as high as 12 percent. I can't fathom that."