Who

A professional controversialist, Foxman is the man behind the Anti-Defamation League, the group that combats anti-Semitism around the world.

Backstory

Born in Poland, Foxman was saved from the Holocaust by his Polish Catholic nanny, who baptized him and raised him as her son for several years. He was eventually reunited with his parents following a bitter custody fight, and the family settled in the Brooklyn in 1950. Foxman attended City College and NYU Law before joining the Anti-Defamation League in 1965; he was appointed director of the organization two decades later. Founded in 1913 to combat the mistreatment of Jews, the ADL had earned a reputation for its broader civil rights advocacy during the 1960s and '70s. Foxman shifted the mandate of the organization, refocusing the ADL on combating anti-Semitism, building up databases of white hate and neo-Nazi groups and, perhaps more notably, training his fire on public figures whom he viewed as offensive or unsympathetic to Jewish concerns. He pursued Michael Jackson (for including anti-Semitic lyrics in a song) and Jesse Jackson (for describing New York as "Hymietown"), and rebuked George W. Bush (after he suggested Jews don't go to Heaven).

Of note

Foxman continues to keep watch for cases of Jewish discrimination and can be counted on to go after everything from the serious (hate crimes, Holocaust denial) to the somewhat inane, like Saturday Night Live sketches or the decision by the U.N. to include the names Israel and Adolph on a list of monikers to be used for hurricanes and typhoons. But the biggest question facing Foxman these days is what direction the ADL will take when he steps down from the job. His two-decade tenure has made the organization nearly inseparable from its vociferous leader and it remains unclear how the ADL will fare with a new generation of Jewish Americans, who are increasingly assimilated, have little experience of open anti-Semitism and no direct remembrance of the Holocaust.

Drama

Foxman's leadership has won him as many enemies as allies, even within the Jewish community, which occasionally bristles at his tendency to grandstand and inject himself into heated political contests. Left-leaning Jewish groups have accused him of pursuing a right-wing agenda, pointing to his embrace of Christian evangelical groups (which are largely pro-Zionist) and his support of the right-wing Israeli politics (he was a big booster of Ariel Sharon). He's also faced criticism from right-wing Jewish groups, most notably for his support of gay rights. And Foxman has dealt with plenty of heat from non-Jewish groups, which have accused him of using his political capital to protect influential members of the Jewish community. More recently, he was embroiled in the debate over the extent of the influence the pro-Israel lobby has on U.S. foreign policy. (In 2006, Foxman was accused of intimidating the Polish general consul into canceling a talk by NYU's Tony Judt, who's advocated the "Israel lobby" thesis.) Foxman says his outspokenness has led to a handful of death threats over the years, which is why if you should see Foxman out and about, you'll also find a burly bodyguard standing by his side.

Personal

Foxman and his wife Golda live in New Jersey and have two kids, Ariel and Michelle. Michelle is a lawyer and Ariel is the former editor-in-chief of Cargo, the men's shopping mag that Condé Nast shuttered in 2006. Ariel is openly gay, which likely accounts for his father's outspokenness on the subject of gay rights.

True story

Former French president Jacques Chirac presented Foxman with the Legion of Honor award in 2006. Mindful of French complicity in the Holocaust, though, Foxman has refused to wear the pin on his lapel.