US Jewish leader, Israeli representative Abe Foxman has died at the age of 86 | Articles about Obituaries

Prominent American Jewish leader and defender of Israel Abraham “Abe” Foxman has died at the age of 86.

The Anti-Defamation League, the advocacy group he led for 28 years, confirmed his death Sunday, calling him “an outspoken, passionate, and tireless advocate for the Jewish people. and Israel“.

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A survivor of the Holocaust, Foxman helped shape the conversation around Israel and anti-Semitism in the US for decades.

ADL Board Chair Nicole Munchnik said Foxman helped build “today’s era of freedom in America”, describing him as a “longtime adviser” to US presidents and world leaders.

“To those of us who knew him, Abe was a best friend, a mentor, a spirited challenger and a hugger — all through lunch,” Munchnik said.

Foxman joined them ADL is in 1965 and became the leader of the group from 1987 to 2015.

Under his leadership, the group – which bills itself as a hate watchdog – became one of the most influential organizations in the country.

Palestinian activists have long criticized the ADL, accusing it of demonizing Palestinian activists and conflating opposition to Israel with anti-Semitism.

Since the beginning of the genocidal war in Gaza, the ADL – under Foxman’s successor Jonathan Greenblatt – has stepped up his campaign against Israel’s critics.

Greenblatt, who has supported anti-bullying laws against Israel, compared the Palestinian kefiyeh to the Nazi swastika last year.

Foxman also remained a staunch supporter of Israel and defended its behavior during the genocidal war in Gaza.

“What is happening in Gaza is sad. But it is not Genocide. And it is not allowed,” he wrote on X in July 2025 when Israel imposed a famine in the region.

“War is hell and cruel, destructive and ugly.” And countries must do everything they can to avoid harming civilians. And Israel has done and is doing that.

A few weeks before his death, Foxman supported the US-Israel war in IranHe is thanking US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for attacking the country.

“Thank you President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu for fighting evil and jihadist extremism. The world will hopefully be a better and safer place in the future,” he said in a post on February 28 after the war.

In March, Foxman warned of what he described as the rise of anti-Semitism on both the US political right and left, publicly attacking liberal politics. isolate themselves from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

“If a politician doesn’t want to take money from AIPAC, don’t take money from AIPAC, but don’t make taking money from AIPAC a moral test – because this continues to build the conspiracy theory that there is a Jewish group in control of America,” said the Jewish Standard.

AIPAC, which supports the war on Iran, has spent millions of dollars advertising campaigns to defeat Israel’s opponents in the US elections.

Last year, Foxman sounded the alarm about the decline of Israel’s aid to the US, emphasizing the importance of cooperation between the two countries in Israel.

“We’re in a propaganda war, and to some extent, we’re losing the propaganda war, and I’m worried that America’s going to lose,” Foxman told the Times of Israel.

“It’s scary, looking at the polls, the Sunday TV shows, the major newspapers – there is so much that is against Israel.”

Even so, activists often criticize the lack of Palestinian perspective on US television shows.

In 2021, Foxman announced that he was canceling his subscription to the New York Times after the newspaper published a front page featuring pictures of dozens of Palestinian children. killed by Israel in Gaza.

“Today insulting Israel and the Jews on the front page is enough,” he said at the time.

Celebrations in Israel and the US poured in for Foxman on Sunday.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said he was “deeply saddened” by Foxman’s death.

“A great voice against anti-Semitism, Abe dedicated his life to protecting the Jewish people and strengthening the relationship between Israel and Jews around the world,” Saar said on X.

The President of Israel Isaac Herzog he also called Foxman “an eminent leader of the Jewish people”.

“He was a passionate Zionist, philanthropic, and articulate, intelligent,” Herzog said.