Abraham H. Foxman, the outspoken longtime national director of the Anti-Defamation League who spent more than half a century fighting antisemitism and other forms of bigotry, has died, the ADL said Sunday. He was 86. The organization said it “deeply mourns” his loss but did not provide details about where or when he died.
Foxman led the ADL for 28 years before retiring in 2015 and remained a prominent voice on issues of hate and discrimination. He advised presidents, diplomats, religious leaders and business figures, confronting public figures over antisemitic remarks while sometimes accepting apologies on behalf of the Jewish community. ADL Director Jonathan Greenblatt said Foxman spoke on the global stage with “moral authority and clarity” and was relentless in pursuing a world without hate.
Born in 1940 to Polish Jews in what is now Belarus, Foxman survived the Holocaust after a nanny had him baptized to hide his Jewish identity. He was reunited with his parents after the war, and the family later settled in New York. After earning a law degree, he joined the ADL as a staff lawyer and spent his entire 50-year career with the organization, becoming its national director in 1987.
Under Foxman’s leadership, the ADL expanded its research into white supremacists and other extremist movements, advocated for immigrant and LGBTQ rights, provided diversity training for law enforcement and developed school programs on the Holocaust, civil rights and bullying. He warned on retirement that the internet had given bigots an anonymous, instantaneous way to spread hate.
Foxman drew both praise and criticism during his tenure. Some argued the ADL devoted too many resources to non-Jewish issues; others said he at times overreacted to perceived slights or was too forgiving of those who apologized. Foxman defended accepting repentance from influential figures, arguing that allowing people to change was essential: “If you don’t let them change, then you become the bigot,” he said.
Founded in 1913 to combat antisemitism and all forms of bias, the ADL credited Foxman with raising the organization’s profile and sharpening its focus on contemporary threats. The group said his leadership left an indelible mark on its work and on efforts to confront hate worldwide.