Was Abe Foxman the last ‘Jewish pope’? |
In the second episode of the Netflix political drama “House of Cards,” the scheming protagonist tanks a rival’s career by accusing him of writing an op-ed in college decrying Israel’s “illegal occupation.”
Midway through the 2013 episode, a character comes on screen surrounded by reporters and, referring to that op-ed, says, “We do not consider the issue of Israel and Palestine a laughing matter. And he calls Israel illegal? Well, he’s an antisemite and he is wrong.”
The show identifies the speaker as the president of the Anti-Defamation League.
Never mind that Abe Foxman, who was then the actual leader of the ADL, would almost definitely never have used the phrase “Israel and Palestine” like that, or branded a senior politician as an antisemite because of one critique of Israel. Never mind that his actual views on Israel and the West Bank were far less black-and-white. Never mind that Foxman criticized the episode.
What the show got right was Foxman’s stature, influence, and penchant for blistering public comments. He was for decades the most prominent and powerful arbiter of what was and was not antisemitic. He was the most visible American Jewish communal leader on the national stage.
He was, as many liked to quip, the “Jewish pope.” And there probably won’t be another one after him.
When Foxman died at age 86 on Sunday, more than a decade after his retirement, tributes and obituaries mentioned his survival of the Holocaust as a child; his dedication to the cause of fighting antisemitism, his commitment to stamping out all forms of hate; his tenacity and his warmth. He personified the post-Holocaust battle against antisemitism, in an era when almost everyone understood that it was bad to hate........