Jack Pechter

Jack Pechter - Holocaust survivor, real estate developer, and philanthropist - dies at 90.

Jack H. Pechter died of natural causes on August 24th, 2024, surrounded by family at home in Boca Raton, Florida. He was the son of Max and Sara (Bittner) Pechter of Rejowiec, Poland.

In 1939, five-year-old Jack Pechter, his parents and his three sisters, Jean, Helen, and Dora, were living in eastern Poland when the Nazis invaded the country. With Max's foresight and Sara's courage, the six Pechters began a five-year journey through eastern Europe and Russia to evade the Nazis. They reached the Russian border on horse and buggy, then onto cattle cars with other refugees exposed to the bitter cold, starvation, and gnawing uncertainty. Max had an unshakeable conviction that a bright future was available to them if he just persevered through displaced persons camps across Central Asia and Siberia before reaching the American shore of Baltimore in 1949. Through their harrowing journey, Sara kept the family strengthened with her consoling message throughout the war: "Tomorrow will be better. Tomorrow will be better."

When Jack and his family arrived in Baltimore, teen-aged Jack quickly embraced the opportunities he found. He attended the University of Maryland, served two years in the army, and soon met and married his wife Marilyn, with whom he would have four children. With Marilyn by his side, Jack dove into real estate, first as a laborer, then a broker, quickly scraping a few dollars from friends and family to become an investor and developer. As a businessman, Jack was known for his integrity, vision, and commitment to building strong communities. From the onset of his business success, he felt inspired by his parents and his journey to help the less fortunate.

Jack's mother would praise him only for his philanthropic activities, often telling him "doing for others" was the secret for happiness. In this spirit, Jack co-founded the International Institute for Holocaust Research, and served on boards of Sinai Hospital in Baltimore, Boca Raton Community Foundation, and Midtown Churches of Baltimore, Maryland, among several others. Jack received numerous awards from organizations including from the Jewish National Fund, Associated Jewish Charities of Baltimore, and Florence Fuller Child Development Center. Jack devoted himself to philanthropy, and instilled the value of "doing for others" in their children and grandchildren.

Jack is survived by his wife, Marilyn; their four children: Martin Pechter (Lisa Vanderwoude); Jeffrey Pechter; Shelly Himmelrich (Billy Himmelrich); Melissa Pechter; sister Dora Schwartz (Pechter); grandchildren, Danielle Wayne (Ethan Wayne), Nicole Pechter (Keith Epstein), Zachary Pechter (Alexa Reubens), Max Himmelrich, Charlie Himmelrich (predeceased), Jada Pechter; great-grandchildren, Eli, Maverick, and Rae; and countless friends and admirers.

The funeral will be held at B'Nai Torah Congregation in Boca Raton, FL, on Monday, August 26, at 1pm, followed by the cemetery at Eternal Light Memorial Gardens in Boynton Beach, FL, at 3pm. The service will be streamed virtually on the following website: https://venue.streamspot.com/event/NDk5OTkxMg. The Shiva will be closed to the immediate family. Please direct donations in Jack's memory to the charlie fund, www.thecharliefund.org/donate.