Abe Foxman, Holocaust Survivor Who Led ADL For Decades, Dies At 86

Abraham “Abe” Foxman, the former national director of the Anti-Defamation League and one of the most prominent Jewish voices against antisemitism in the modern era, died Sunday at 86.

Foxman, a Holocaust survivor who was hidden as a Jewish child during World War II, led the ADL from 1987 until 2015. Over nearly three decades at the helm, he became a central figure in Jewish communal life, a public defender of Israel, and a leading advocate against antisemitism, racism and hate.

Born in 1940 in what was then Poland and is now Belarus, Foxman survived the Holocaust after his parents placed him in the care of a Polish Catholic nanny to save his life. While in hiding, he was baptized as a Catholic and his Jewish identity was concealed. He was reunited with his parents in 1944 after they survived the war, and the family immigrated to the United States in 1950.

Fourteen of Foxman’s relatives were killed in the Holocaust.

After arriving in America, Foxman studied at the Yeshiva of Flatbush, the City College of New York and New York University School of Law. He joined the ADL in 1965 as an assistant director in its legal affairs division and spent his entire professional career with the organization.

Foxman rose through a series of senior roles before becoming national director in 1987. Under his leadership, the ADL expanded its work in monitoring antisemitism, developing anti-bias education programs, training law enforcement, confronting extremism and advocating for Jewish communities in the United States and around the world.

Jonathan Greenblatt, Foxman’s successor as ADL CEO and national director, called him a moral voice for the Jewish people.

“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.

Greenblatt said Foxman’s Holocaust experience shaped his lifelong mission against hatred.

“He often said that the Holocaust did not begin with bricks and mortar and gas chambers, but rather, it began with words,” Greenblatt said. “From this foundational principle, he made education and antibias training a cornerstone of ADL’s work.”

President Isaac Herzog also mourned Foxman, calling him “a legendary leader of the Jewish people, a champion of justice and equality, and a longtime, dear friend.”

“His story of rising from the ashes is our story, the story of our people,” Herzog said.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said Foxman had devoted his life to defending Jews and strengthening ties between Israel and world Jewry.

“A towering voice against antisemitism, Abe devoted his life to defending the Jewish people and strengthening the bond between Israel and Jewish communities worldwide,” Sa’ar said.

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

Funeral services are set for Tuesday at Park Avenue Synagogue in New York City.