Known as 'Jewish pope,' he transformed ADL into a juggernaut

‘He pursued a world without hate’: Former Anti-Defamation League director Abe Foxman dies at 86

Successor Greenblatt hails Foxman, who served from 1987 to 2015, as ‘iconic Jewish leader, passionate advocate for the Jews and Israel’; Herzog mourns ‘Zionist, humanist, and friend’

The former national director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Abraham (Abe) Foxman, died Sunday at the age of 86.

Foxman, a US lawyer and activist, served as the national director of the ADL between 1987 and 2015, and he remained the national director emeritus until his passing.

Under Foxman’s leadership, the ADL transformed from a division of B’nai Brith into a muscular juggernaut running anti-bias educational and training programs, monitoring antisemitism in the United States and around the world and advocating for anti-discrimination legislation out of an array of regional offices. Foxman himself became a chief arbiter of what qualifies as antisemitism — and the granter of absolution when warranted. Some jokingly called him “the Jewish pope.”

Foxman’s successor, Jonathan Greenblatt, mourned his death, recalling him as an “iconic Jewish leader” who was “relentlessly dedicated to his pursuit of a world without hate.”

“America and the Jewish people have lost a moral voice, a passionate advocate for the Jewish people and the State of Israel, and a remarkable leader,” he said in a statement published by the organization.

Survived Holocaust in the care of his Catholic nanny

Born on May 1, 1940, in what was then Poland and is now Belarus, Foxman spent the first years of his life in the care of his Polish Catholic nanny, having been entrusted to her by his parents in a bid to keep him safe during the Holocaust.

While in her care, he was baptized as a Catholic to hide his Jewish identity.

He was reunited with his parents in 1944 after they survived against all odds, and the family immigrated to the United States in 1950.

Foxman attended the Yeshiva of Flatbush, followed by the City College of New York and New York University Law School.

He joined the ADL as an assistant director of legal affairs in 1965 and rose through a series of positions — as head of Middle Eastern affairs, then head of international affairs — before becoming national director of the anti-hate organization in 1987.

He stepped down from the post in 2015, and was succeeded by Greenblatt.

When he retired, antisemitism appeared by many measures to be at an all-time low in the United States. Foxman hesitated to take credit for any gains but said he had appreciated the chance to build a world animated by values very different from those that reigned during his childhood.

On the eve of unprecedented polarization in the United States, Foxman was known for his willingness to call balls and strikes on all sides of the aisle — and to hug across the chasm.

From 2016 until 2021, Foxman served as the vice chair of the board of trustees at New York’s Museum of Jewish Heritage.

Greenblatt: Foxman spoke ‘with moral authority and clarity’

Greenblatt credited Foxman with transforming the ADL during his long career, “while confronting antisemitism and hate (from both left and right), opposing the global rise in antisemitism, holding world leaders accountable, and working to ensure that Israel was Jewish, secure, and democratic.”

“Abe’s voice was heard – and listened to – by popes, presidents, and prime ministers, a voice he used wherever Jews were at risk,” Greenblatt added. “Abe Foxman spoke on the global stage with moral authority and clarity and was relentlessly dedicated to his pursuit of a world without hate.”

ADL board chair Nicole Munchnik credited Foxman with helping to “build the modern liberal era of America.”

“He was recognized across the globe as a great leader and passionate advocate for tolerance, a voice of the generation rebuilding in the shadow of the Shoah, and longtime adviser to American presidents and world leaders,” she said. “To those of us who knew him, Abe was a warm friend, adviser, spirited antagonist, and hugger – all over lunch.”

William Daroff, CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, said in a statement that Foxman “was a mentor, a guide, and a towering presence in Jewish communal life. He showed a generation of leaders that fighting antisemitism demands clarity, courage, and the willingness to stand firm under pressure. Abe’s voice carried moral authority because it came from conviction, experience, and an unbreakable commitment to the Jewish people.”

President Isaac Herzog hailed Foxman as “a legendary leader of the Jewish people, a champion of justice and equality, and a longtime, dear friend of mine.”

“Coming into a world at war, the Holocaust shaped Abe’s character and defined his mission: combating antisemitism and hypocrisy, calling out racism and bias, speaking up for the Jewish people and the Jewish democratic Israel,” Herzog said. “His story of rising from the ashes is our story, the story of our people.”

Foxman, he said, was “a passionate Zionist, a humanist, and an outspoken, wise friend. The affection and the respect we had for one another enabled us to openly discuss every challenge and every obstacle. I am so grateful for the profound conversations we shared over the years, and for the brave leadership he exemplified.”

‎”I will miss Abe’s counsel and voice, and I know that his legacy and his message will live on,” he said.

Foxman will be buried at 10 a.m. EST on Tuesday (5 p.m. Israel time), and the funeral, at Park Avenue Synagogue, will be livestreamed.

He is survived by his wife, Golda; his two children, Michelle and Ariel; and his four grandchildren, Cielo, Leila, Gideon, and Amirit.