Abe Foxman, Former ADL National Director, Passes Away at 86

Abraham H. Foxman, a prominent advocate for American Jews and former national director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), has died at the age of 86.

Born in 1940 in Baranovichi, now part of Belarus, Foxman survived the Holocaust as a child. To protect him, his parents entrusted him to his Polish Catholic nanny, who baptized him and raised him as Henryk Stanisław Kurpi until the end of World War II. After reuniting with his parents, the family immigrated to the United States in 1950.

Foxman earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the City College of New York and a Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law. He joined the ADL in 1965 as a staff lawyer and became its national director in 1987, a position he held until his retirement in 2015.

During his tenure, Foxman expanded the ADL's mission to include broader human rights advocacy, addressing issues such as white supremacy, LGBTQ and immigrant rights, and diversity education. He was known for his moral clarity and willingness to confront hate, advising world leaders and public figures on combating antisemitism and bigotry.

Foxman authored several books on antisemitism and received numerous honors, including being named a Knight of the Legion of Honor by France. He also served on the United States Holocaust Memorial Council under four presidents.

Jonathan Greenblatt, the current ADL director, stated, "Abe's voice was heard—and listened to—by popes, presidents, and prime ministers, a voice he used wherever Jews were at risk."

Foxman is survived by his wife, Golda Bauman, and their two children.