Abraham Foxman, transformative longtime director of the Anti-Defamation League, dies at 86
Abraham Foxman, the longtime leader of the Anti-Defamation League who for decades was the last word in post-Holocaust Jewish fury and forgiveness, has died at 86. Foxman, a child survivor of the Holocaust, could be…
Assessment
Foxman's death closes a chapter in American Jewish institutional life defined by a single authoritative voice on antisemitism. His career spanned the shift from postwar communal deference to aggressive public advocacy, and his willingness to admit past errors offers a rare model of institutional accountability. The question now is whether any single figure can again command that kind of moral and organizational authority.