Paying tribute to Abe Pollin (UPDATED)

AIPAC and The Israel Project have both released statements saluting Abe Pollin, a huge figure in the pro-Israel and Washington-area Jewish community who died Tuesday at the age of 85.

From AIPAC, which called him a "giant in the pro-Israel community":

As a member of AIPAC’s board of directors and friend of many of our country’s most influential policy makers and elected officials, Abe never missed an opportunity to stress the importance of America’s special and unbreakable bond with the State of Israel. 

We are profoundly saddened by his loss, but comforted by the knowledge that Abe’s courageous and tireless spirit made a profound difference for a cause in which he deeply believed – the strength of the U.S.-Israel relationship.

The Israel Project statement noted that he had also been a member of that organization’s board since 2004, and that "he will be missed especially by the Jewish community and by the city of Washington, DC – a place that was made better 1000 ways because of Abe Pollin"

Pollin is best known in Washington, D.C. as the owner of the Washington Wizards basketball team and the Verizon Center (and also owned the Washington Capitals hockey team). He decided to change the name of the Wizards from the Bullets after the assasination of his longtime friend, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, as a statement against gun violence.

In addition to many charitable endeavors in the Jewish and wider community, Pollin also was one of three D.C. real-estate developers who bought and restored the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue in Washington in 2004 before it could be turned into a nightclub. The facility is now a magnet for the city’s younger Jews, sponsoring a variety of Jewish and cultural programming.

More on Pollin from the Washington Jewish Week here.

After the jump, the full statements from AIPAC and The Israel Project:

AIPAC expresses its deep condolences to the family and friends of Abe Pollin, who passed away earlier today.

 

Abe was a longtime leader of AIPAC and giant of America’s pro-Israel community. 

 

As a member of AIPAC’s board of directors and friend of many of our country’s most influential policy makers and elected officials, Abe never missed an opportunity to stress the importance of America’s special and unbreakable bond with the State of Israel. 

 

We are profoundly saddened by his loss, but comforted by the knowledge that Abe’s courageous and tireless spirit made a profound difference for a cause in which he deeply believed – the strength of the U.S.-Israel relationship.

                                                                                                                           

The entire AIPAC community extends its sympathies to his wife Irene and their family.  May his memory be a blessing.

And TIP:

 

The staff and board of The Israel Project mourn the loss of TIP board member Abe Pollin. Mr. Pollin was a great lover of Israel and the Jewish people. He and Irene have been champions of important causes, both Jewish and in the wider community. Mr. Pollin joined The Israel Project’s board in June of 2004 and he was especially proud to fund our TV ads in Washington that showcased Israel’s democratic nature and desire for peace. Despite health issues he was recently re-elected to the board. He will be missed especially by the Jewish community and by the city of Washington, DC – a place that was made better 1000 ways because of Abe Pollin.
 
Abe Pollin and his wife Irene are the longest-tenured owners in the National Basketball Association and oversee operations of the Washington Wizards, the Washington Mystics, TicketMaster Washington/Baltimore and the management of MCI Center and the George Mason University Patriot Center. Mr. Pollin’s wide array of philanthropic service includes serving as chairman of The Advisory Council for UNICEF, honorable chairman of the Salvation Army’s Leadership Committee for Centers of Hope and co-chairman of the District’s Community Capital Campaign for N Street Village. As co-sponsor of the I Have a Dream Foundation, Mr. Pollin guaranteed college educations for 55 students. His awards include the U.S. Army’s Distinguished Civilian Service Award, the 1996 Robert F. Kennedy-Martin Luther King, Jr. Award, the 1996 United Cerebral Palsy Achievement Award and the 1997 Jewish Leadership Award. Mr. Pollin, along with basketball legend Michael Jordan created an education fund for children of victims of the September 11 attacks. Most recently, Mr. and Mrs. Pollin established the Pollin Prize for Pediatric Research, administered by New York-Presbyterian Hospital.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Pollin family.