Morton E. Ruderman, an entrepreneur who co-founded the health care technology firm Meditech and later became a major Jewish philanthropist, died Oct. 12 at 75.
His charitable activities included organizations that help the disabled, the endowment of a Jewish studies chair at his alma mater, Northeastern University, and the creation of a family foundation that funds programs promoting full inclusion and new opportunities for Jews and others with disabilities in the United States and Israel, along with building bridges between Diaspora and Israeli Jews.
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According to the Ruderman Family Foundation website, Ruderman and his wife met less than two weeks before his death with more than 100 leaders of programs supported by the foundation in Israel that focus on improving the lives of those with disabilities, including eight members of Israel’s Knesset. The foundation brought Knesset members to the U.S. in the spring to learn about American Jews.
Ruderman “was a true Zionist,” said his son, Jay, of Rehovot, Israel, who remembered that his father went to Israel when the first Lebanon War broke out in 1982. “He said he would deliver mail, pick oranges or do whatever was needed to help the country. My father’s love for Israel and his frequent trips there are probably the reason I’m living and raising my family there today.”
Ruderman was born in Malden, Mass., received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Northeastern and was a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He was the Digital Equipment Corp.’s first medical technology salesman. He and three partners co-founded Meditech, which provides patient tracking and other forms of software for hospitals and health care facilities. He also founded the CRES Development Company, a real estate development firm, and several other companies.
The foundation posted a tribute video to Ruderman on its website, which can be seen here, as well.
The Eulogizer highlights the life accomplishments of famous and not-so-famous Jews who have passed away recently. Write to the Eulogizer at eulogizer@jta.org.
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