Did he or the ADL reach out to Zakaria before they rushed to judgement against a mosque near ground zero?
No.
Foxman tries to explain away the ADL position in
http://www.adl.org/media_watch/tv/20100806-Fareed+Zakaria.htm">THIS LETTER to Zaakaria.
At the core he's saying they are against bigotry, but want to cater to the bigotry and hate being wielded against this mosque out of sensitivity to the victims:
We did not oppose the right for an Islamic Center or a mosque to be built. What we did was to make an appeal based solely on the issues of location and sensitivity. If the stated goal was to advance reconciliation and understanding, we believe taking into consideration the feelings of many victims and their families, of first responders and many New Yorkers, who are not bigots but still feel the pain of 9/11, would go a long way to achieving that reconciliation.
It's not a valid excuse.
Victims and families who are against this mosque don't need to have their feelings considered. They need to be shown a better way.
Foxman ends his letter in a stunning display of arrogance and hubris that shows he absolutely does not understand what's happening here:
I am holding on to your award and check in hope that you will come to see that ADL acted appropriately and you will want to reclaim them.
Zakaria deserves a Nobel nomination for this move.