MIAMI – The former Miami and Southern Area director of the Anti-Defamation League has died, according to ADL leadership and staff members.
Arthur "Art" Teitelbaum served more than four decades with ADL and managed initiatives in 12 Southern states, ADL officials said.
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Teitelbaum began his career as a radio broadcaster, then as a platform speaking trainer and coach in the Army Security Agency Training Center. ADL said following his Army service, Teitelbaum joined the staff of the league.
Teitelbaum won national recognition as a public speaker, motivator and trainer.
"Art was a magnificent speaker, known for his ability to deliver the most complicated of issues in succinct, clear language," ADL Florida Regional Director Hava L. Holzhauer said. "I had the privilege of spending some time with him over the past two years. He was a true bridge-builder, and was able to easily connect with the community. Art was the physical embodiment of ADL's mission -- to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and secure justice and fair treatment to all. His life was a blessing to so many people in our community who were impacted through his work. May his memory do the same."
ADL said he served as a special adviser to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement on hate crimes, and was an instructor in the School of Justice of Miami-Dade College and served as a member of the Dade County Bar Association's Special Commission on Judicial Elections.
ADL leaders and colleagues shared some comments and memories:
"ADL was not a job to Arthur, it was a calling. He was a champion of tolerance, inclusion, fairness and respect for our fellow humans regardless of who they are and where they come from," said Leonard Abess, Jr., honorary life member of the ADL National Commission. "He was a strong voice for justice, dignity and doing what is right. He was a relentless foe of bigotry, prejudice, violence and evil. He was befriended and mentored by my father and did the same for me. He was a beloved friend to four generations of our family. Our community is a better place because Arthur lived and worked here."
"I saw him speak at an event and was hooked. He had a way of phrasing words for their greatest effect. He was very kind and an easy person to follow," said past ADL regional chair Seth Gadinsky. "It's a sad day for me and all who were lucky to know him."
"As the incarnation of the good of ADL for two generations, Art Teitelbaum enjoyed unparalleled credibility. Art was prescient, bridge-building, caring, meaningful, and an impactful symbol of good in South Florida," said past ADL regional chair Dennis Kainen. "The media and the movers and shakers of South Florida called, quoted, trusted, and admired the ADL because of what Art said and did. A speaker par excellence blessed with a radio-trained mellifluous voice, Art always knew what to say, and no one I have ever met said it better."
"Art possessed a very strong character, was honest to a fault and had a commanding personality that made him a terrific leader; yet every time I think of him I will remember one special quality: his devotion to his friends," past ADL Miami civil rights committee chair Michael Lax said.
"We have lost an important and powerful voice in our community," said Jacob Solomon, CEO of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation. "Art was source of great strength in defense of the Jewish people, for certain. But he was also a man who fought with equal zeal and courage against all bigotry and discrimination, regardless of the color or creed of the victim. He shall surely be missed."
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