OBITUARY
 

By: Fern Sidman
The editorial team of The Jewish Voice is grieving the loss of one of its most influential and beloved members, Alan Bergstein, who passed away at the age of 92. A pillar of the publication’s editorial page and a fierce advocate for the Jewish people, Bergstein’s voice was one of passion, conviction, and moral clarity in a time when such qualities have become increasingly rare in public discourse.

A prolific writer, speaker, and community leader, Alan Bergstein leaves behind a towering legacy as a defender of Zionism, a fighter against antisemitism, and a conservative intellectual whose words resonated across generations. His passing marks not only the end of an era for The Jewish Voice, but a profound loss for the wider pro-Israel and conservative communities he championed with unflinching resolve.

A Pen Wielded with Principle
For years, Bergstein served as the editorial page director of The Jewish Voice, contributing countless columns that earned him a devoted readership and a reputation for incisive commentary. His writing was marked by a unique blend of moral outrage, historical awareness, and biting wit. He did not hedge. He did not equivocate. Alan told it exactly as he saw it — and did so with elegance, erudition, and courage.

A devout Zionist and lifelong defender of Jewish survival and identity, Bergstein was never afraid to speak out — even, and especially, when it was unpopular. His editorials thundered against the rising tide of antisemitism in American life, on college campuses, in politics, and in media. He was a “cognitive warrior,” as colleagues described him, constantly engaged in what he saw as a spiritual and ideological battle for the soul of the Jewish people and the state of Israel.

Alan Bergstein was the founder and president of the Judeo-Christian Republican Club in South Florida, a space he created to foster meaningful dialogue and alliance between pro-Israel Christians and Jews in the conservative movement

A Conservative Crusader
Alan was also a staunch political conservative who relished taking on the mainstream media and progressive orthodoxy with what The Jewish Voice called “palpable gusto.” He took aim at the distortions and hypocrisies of the left-leaning press, laying bare the ideological biases that shaped their reporting. His critiques were relentless but never gratuitous; he argued with facts, historical precedent, and the conviction of someone who had lived long enough to see the stakes of political complacency.

Jewish Voice publisher David Ben-Hooren recalled Alan’s fearless voice: “We could always count on Alan for superbly written editorials on an extensive variety of subjects and he never shied away from attacking liberal Democrats, even if that meant they would attempt to silence him. He paid a price for penning the truth and speaking truth to power.”

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