New York — Abraham Foxman, who was a vocal advocate for American Jews as national director of the Anti-Defamation League for nearly three decades, has died, the Anti-Defamation League said Sunday. He was 86 years old.
The Anti-Defamation League said in a statement that it was “deeply saddened by the loss of our long-time national director,” without providing details about where or when Foxman died.
Over his 28 years as ADL president before his retirement in 2015, Foxman advised presidents, diplomats, CEOs and celebrities. He has taken on prominent figures for anti-Semitic statements or representations and has accepted any subsequent apologies on behalf of the entire community.
“Abe’s voice has been heard — and listened to — by popes, presidents and prime ministers, a voice he has used wherever Jews are at risk,” Jonathan Greenblatt, current director of the ADL, said in a statement. “Abe Foxman spoke on the global stage with moral authority and clarity and was relentlessly loyal to his quest for a world free of hate.”
Born in 1940 to Polish Jews in what is now Belarus, Foxman survived the Holocaust after a nanny baptized him as a Catholic to hide his Jewish identity. He was reunited with his parents after the war and the family moved to New York.
After earning his law degree, Foxman joined the Anti-Defamation League as an attorney. He spent his entire 50-year career with the group, becoming a leading national voice against anti-Semitism and hatred. He was appointed national director of the organization in 1987.
After his retirement, Foxman told the Associated Press that he was concerned that the Internet gave fanatics a way to spread their beliefs “not just anonymously but at the speed of light.”
The Anti-Defamation League was founded in 1913 with a mandate to fight anti-Semitism and all forms of prejudice. But the focus varied over time depending on who was in charge and contemporary issues.
Foxman faced criticism that the Anti-Defamation League devoted too many resources to non-Jewish causes. Under his watch, the organization built a massive research arm into white supremacists and other extremists, advocated for immigrant and gay rights, conducted diversity training for law enforcement, and developed programs for schools on issues ranging from the Holocaust to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to the impact of bullying.
Foxman had long suffered objections that he overreacted to perceived insults against Jews and was too quick to condemn them. However, he was rebuked for easily forgiving and embracing those who repented of their anti-Jewish statements.
Foxman said it is necessary to accept apologies, especially from those who can serve as prominent allies for Jews.
“If you don’t allow them to change, you will become a fanatic.”