In the weeks since the passing of IREHR founder Leonard Zeskind, tributes and remembrances have poured in. The significance of Zeskind’s work was captured in moving obituaries in the New York Times, Washington Post, and his hometown public radio station, KCUR.

Our research director, Chuck Tanner, wrote a profoundly moving piece on Leonard’s enduring impact on anti-fascist research and the fight for real democracy. Former editor of the Jewish Chronicle, Rick Hellman, wrote “Remembering Lenny” which explored his enduring local impact.

Loretta Ross, who worked with Leonard during his time at the Center for Democratic Renewal and is also a MacArthur Fellow, wrote that, “Lenny changed my life forever in teaching me how to fight fascism. I quote him nearly every day because he showed me the joy of fighting against injustice instead of the anger that fueled me before I was mentored by him.” Ken Toole, a former Montana State Senator and a founder of the Montana Human Rights Network (now Catalyst Montana), added, “Lenny was kicking around Montana before it was cool. Of course, he wasn’t here for the views. He changed a lot about how many of us understood politics and history.” Brian Levin, founder of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, also expressed that “Lenny’s unique ability to organize and inspire, coupled with his brilliance made him not only an unyielding force for good, but someone who could attract likeminded highest achievers to our cause as he did with CDR & IRHER. Sorely missed at a time his insight is needed the most.”

As you know, Leonard was also deeply committed to developing international ties to counter the spread of transnational white nationalism. As Leonard discussed in the last piece he ever wrote for the final print edition of the British anti-fascist magazine, Searchlight, he’d been a correspondent for the publication since the 1980s, and became an American hub to an international network of anti-fascist researchers. Former Searchlight International Editor, Graeme Atkinson, shared his remembrance of Leonard. One of our Canadian colleagues also shared a touching remembrance of how Leonard helped break down barriers and connect to work north of the border.

All of us at IREHR are committed to continuing the important work Leonard started. Already this month, while we’ve grieved, we’ve also worked with Native American Women’s Dialogue on Infant Mortality to examine new threats from Trump and DOGE. We briefed public health officials on the turn in the anti-vaccine movement to Make America Healthy Again (MAHA), and we trained worker organizers on “Tech neo-reactionaries, DOGE, and the Great Resegregation.”

We need your help to ensure that Leonard Zeskind’s vision for democracy and human rights continues to survive and thrive in these challenging times. Please consider donating to the IREHR Leonard Zeskind Memorial Fund today.