Abraham Foxman, the influential former director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), passed away yesterday, May 10, 2026, at the age of 86. A Holocaust survivor who was saved by his Catholic nanny, Foxman led the ADL for 28 years (1987–2015), transforming it into a global powerhouse for civil rights and Holocaust education, winning access to presidents and prime ministers and meeting with Popes.
Until the end of his life, Abraham Foxman questioned whether the "Portuguese Dreyfus" had been symbolically reinstated in the army. A decade and a half ago, he personally involved himself in the moral rehabilitation of the captain Barros Basto and he wrote a letter to Assunção Esteves on February 29, 2012. In the last year of his term as president of the ADL, he asked President Cavaco Silva to intervene in this matter (March 12, 2015). Yet, in the country of socialism, nothing happened that year, nor has it happened to this day.
Prominent leaders and organizations from across the globe have released statements honoring his legacy as a "warrior against antisemitism" and a "towering voice" for the Jewish people.
Isaac Herzog (President of Israel) eulogized him as a "legendary leader of the Jewish people," a "passionate Zionist," and a dear friend.
Gideon Sa'ar (Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister) called him a "towering voice against antisemitism" who spent his life strengthening the bond between Israel and global Jewish communities.
Deborah Lipstadt (U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism) noted his death is a "big loss for the Jewish people at a particularly crucial moment" and praised his "personal and professional authority".
Funeral Details, Date & Time: Tuesday, May 12, at 10:00 a.m. EST at Park Avenue Synagogue in New York City. The service will be live-streamed for the public.
