Leonard Fein, inspiration to generations of progressives and Jews, passed away early in the morning of August 14.

Even at the age of 80 he was a regular columnist for this publication as he had been for two decades. It was one of the many outlets for his writing and institution-building over half a century.

Across the decades he built lasting institutions for the progressive Jewish community. In 1975, while a professor at Brandeis, he co-founded Moment Magazine with Elie Wiesel; In 1985 he started MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger; In 1997 he set up the National Jewish Coalition for Literacy. Each of these organizations in its own way preserves his memory: without food we cannot live, without education we have no future and without thoughtful conversation we cannot thrive.

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Fein’s overriding concerns were with justice and the relationships between Israel and America. A lifelong Liberal Zionist, he was a tireless promoter of peace in the Middle East and a core member of Americans for Peace Now since its inception.

The poor sales figures of his 1970 book, “Where Are We?: The Inner Life of America’s Jews” were a source of wry regret to Fein. But, as with much of his work, its impact was felt through the influence it had on leaders and thought-leaders. Fein may not have been a mass media celebrity — although he wrote for The New York Times, The New Republic, Commentary, The Nation and the Los Angeles Times — but his imprint has been made, and his influence continues to be felt across wide swathes of the Jewish and progressive communities.

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