Abraham Foxman, towering champion against antisemitism, dies at 86

Abraham H. Foxman, the Holocaust survivor who became one of the most influential Jewish leaders in the United States and a relentless global voice against antisemitism, has died at the age of 86.

Foxman served as national director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) from 1987 until 2015, capping a 50-year career with the organisation he joined immediately after graduating from law school.

Born in 1940 in Baranovichi, then part of Poland and now in Belarus, Foxman survived the Holocaust after his parents entrusted him to their Polish Catholic nanny, Bronislawa Kurpi. She baptised him and raised him as a Catholic to conceal his Jewish identity from the Nazis. After the war, he was reunited with his parents, who had survived, and the family later emigrated to the United States.

That experience shaped a lifetime commitment to combating antisemitism, racism and all forms of bigotry.

Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL chief executive officer and national director, said Foxman had been one of the defining Jewish leaders of the modern era.

“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,” Greenblatt said.

“Abe Foxman was an iconic Jewish leader who embraced the ideal of an America free from antisemitism and hate and who strongly believed that these scourges could be defeated if good people opposed it.”

Greenblatt said Foxman transformed the ADL while confronting antisemitism and hatred from across the political spectrum and ensuring that Israel remained “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,” he said.

Greenblatt added that Foxman frequently reminded audiences that the Holocaust began not with gas chambers but with words, a principle that underpinned his commitment to education and anti-bias training.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog described 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.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar called Foxman a “towering voice against antisemitism” who devoted his life to defending the Jewish people and strengthening ties between Israel and Jewish communities worldwide.

Tributes also poured in from across the American Jewish community and political world.

William Daroff, chief executive of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organisations, said Foxman had been an extraordinary mentor and adviser.

“Abe combined toughness and warmth in a way that few leaders can,” Daroff said. “He expected seriousness, spoke with moral clarity and pushed younger leaders to think bigger about our responsibility to the Jewish people.”

Deborah Lipstadt, former United States special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, wrote: “Abe Foxman was a fighter for our people and for justice for all. He was my friend, someone to whom I could speak truth. He shall be missed greatly.”

The Jewish Federations of North America described Foxman as a “towering voice against antisemitism and a lifelong champion of the Jewish people”, while the American Jewish Committee said his moral clarity and courage helped shape the American Jewish experience and strengthened the global fight against hatred.

David G. Greenfield, chief executive of Met Council on Jewish Poverty, called Foxman “one of the great Jewish leaders of the past century”. He said Foxman spoke out against antisemitism “on the right, on the left and everywhere in between”.

David Bernstein, chief executive of the North American Values Institute, said Foxman “embodied the spirit of the American Jewish community and helped shape its consensus”. He praised his sharp wit, intellectual clarity and political acumen.

Foxman graduated from Yeshiva of Flatbush, City College of New York and New York University School of Law. He joined the ADL in 1965 and rose through a series of legal and executive roles before becoming national director in 1987.

Over nearly three decades at the helm, he became one of the world’s most recognised and outspoken advocates against antisemitism. He advised presidents, met with world leaders and frequently spoke out on behalf of Israel and Jewish communities facing threats around the globe.

Even after retiring from the ADL in 2015, Foxman remained a prominent commentator on antisemitism, the Holocaust, Israel and the responsibilities of democratic societies to confront hatred.

Foxman is survived by his wife, Golda; his children, Michelle and Ariel; son-in-law Brandon Cardet-Hernandez; and grandchildren Cielo, Leila, Gideon and Amirit.

For generations of Jews and non-Jews alike, Abraham H. Foxman was a moral compass, a fierce advocate and a reminder that the fight against hatred begins with words but must never end there.