Jerry Gottesman, Philanthropist Who Funded Expansion Of Jewish Schools, Dies
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
(JTA) — Jerome “Jerry” Gottesman, a property developer and philanthropist who often focused on expanding access to Jewish education, has died.
Gottesman died on Sunday at the age of 87 while on a private visit to Israel with his family. His body was set to be returned to New Jersey for a funeral and burial on Tuesday.
Gottesman, along with his brother Harold, was the co-founder of Newark, New Jersey-based Edison Properties, and served as chairman of the company until his death. Edison controls more than 3 million square feet of property, including parking garages and storage units in Manhattan and Brooklyn and several million more square feet in Newark, according to the news website NJBiz.
As philanthropists, he and his wife Paula became known for key gifts to innovative programs in Jewish education.
“We have lost a dear friend, and a giant in our community,” said Scott Krieger, president of the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ in a statement. “Thinking through the lens of real estate, Jerry understood that building Jewish community meant deep investment today, but always with an eye to the future.”
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