Benjamin Gottesman, who was closely associated with Yeshiva University for more than 50 years, died last Wednesday in Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., while on vacation at the age of 81. He served on the board of Yeshiva since 1925 and was its oldest trustee Gottesman’s association with Yeshiva followed his father’s, Mendel Gottesman, who was one of the founders of the Rabbi Isoac Elchanan Theological Seminary, a predecessor of Yeshiva and now on affiliate of the University.
Gottesman, who was a resident of Manhattan, was born in New York City. For many years he was in the pulp and paper business and served as vice president and treasurer of the Hudson Trading Company In New York. In the lost 20 years he managed his own and other investment funds from his office in Manhattan.
His major interest was the library system of Yeshiva University to which he and other members of his family were primary forces of financial support. In addition, Gottesman was active as president and treasurer of the Gottesman Tree of Life Foundation, a philanthropic institution founded by his father in 1916.
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