- Related news: “ADL head Abe Foxman step down after 30 years”
Say it ain’t so, Abe.
After nearly 30 years as the American Jewish community’s de facto spokesman for tolerance and civil rights, Abraham Foxman is stepping down this month as executive director of the Anti-Defamation League.
Foxman has long been the unofficial go-to guy when pundits, journalists and government officials want to know “what the Jews are thinking.” As our article this week notes, Foxman is a deft leader, one who is unafraid to speak his mind. No one has been more eloquent in shaming those who espouse or wink at hate. Just as important, no one has been more forgiving when those who utter insensitive remarks show a willingness to evolve.
After such a long and distinguished career, Foxman certainly has earned his retirement. It’s ironic, then, that after a long, relatively quiescent period, at least in the United States, global anti-Semitism — the main concern of the ADL — has in the past year or so come roaring back like a stubborn grass fire.
For much of Foxman’s tenure, anti-Semitism had retreated in this country to such an extent that the ADL felt comfortable expanding its mission to include defending other communities victimized by intolerance, notably Muslims and Hindus. Under Foxman’s leadership, the ADL not only monitored anti-Semitism, it also became a pre-eminent educator, teaching tolerance in schools, the workplace and other settings.
The ADL truly has been a friend to all.
Unfortunately, with the rise of the anti-Israel boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, there has been a concomitant rise in anti-Jewish speech and acts around the world. Especially in Europe, these incidents, some of them deadly, evoke the specter of 1930s-era anti-Jewish brutality. We need articulate, forceful leaders like Foxman to stand on the front lines of defense, condemning anti-Semitic actions and spurring governments to do more to protect Jewish communities.
It was more than we could hope for that the ADL, or any organization, could eradicate anti-Jewish bias. That scourge has been around since the Dark Ages and isn’t about to disappear.
Yet we can only applaud Foxman for leading the charge, for growing the ADL and fighting the good fight. We wish the new executive director, Jonathan Greenblatt, much success. Surely he knows he has big shoes to fill.
Thank you, Abraham Foxman, for your many decades of telling the truth, calling out hate and embodying truly transcendent chutzpah. You and your work will be remembered.