Abraham Foxman, American lawyer, manager of the League Against defamation (ADL) from 1987 to 2015. "I believe that everyone who raises his hand against you besides raises it against Saint John Paul II and his teaching," he said.
We print the full text of Abraham Foxman's letter:
Venerable Cardinal,
Dear Brother in Faith,
I was amazed to learn that the Letter of the Polish Episcopal Conference of 12 March 2026 on the 40th anniversary of Pope John Paul II's visit to the large Roman Synagogue conducted by the chief rabbi Elio Toaff caused in Poland reactions of resistance, anger or even hatred. Especially against you, whose dialog work of rapprochement between Christianity and Judaism is known and appreciated in the world.
When I read this letter respective times, I say with full conviction and power that this paper could have its place in the book “Holy for Peace. How Pope John Paul II changed Catholic-Jewish relations".
He has changed those accounts.
The publication is simply a certificate of this variety. It is simply a full collection of texts of the Holy Father, from the same country as I did, about Jews, Judaism and the State of Israel from 1979 to 2005. This work was released by the League Against defamation (ADL), at which I had the honour to stand for almost forty years and put my hand on this edition.
In true, wise and building the best Catholic-Jewish relations there is not a single conviction and a message that could not come out of Karol Wojtyła's pen, the faithful boy and Shepherd of the Krakow Church, whose place you are taking today.
Therefore, I believe that anyone who raises his hand against you besides raises it against Saint John Paul II and his teaching, from the Second Vatican Council and the declaration "Nostra Aetate". The Episcopal Letter of 12 March is the witness of this teaching.
Personally – and with an open heart – I accept this passage of the Letter: “Following the footsteps of St John Paul II, let us visit the synagogue on 13 April. Let us remember the men and women whose prayers have for centuries pierced the walls of these houses of prayer. And wherever possible, let us meet our judaic sisters and brothers.”
Follow the teaching of the Polish Pope – a teaching that can only enrich us.
With sincere relationship and solidarity,
Abraham H. Foxman
Abraham Foxman, as a longtime manager of the League Against defamation (ADL) and the leading judaic activist in the US, has repeatedly spoken on topics of strong controversy, frequently focusing on anti-Semitism, Holocaust and Polish-Jewish relations. Foxman repeatedly accused Poland of neglecting anti-Semitism. In 2012, in the context of president Barack Obama's "Polish death camps", he stated that although this is the consequence of ignorance, Poland must counteract its own anti-Semitism.
Foxman was 1 of the main characters of the 2009 documentary movie Joab Shamir. The paper sparked a discussion about whether ADL does not over-interpret certain events as anti-Semitism, which makes its activity controversial to any recipients.
