ISRAEL "Izzy" FELDMAN

FELDMAN ISRAEL FELDMAN "Izzy" Israel "Izzy" Feldman--a serial IT entrepreneur, proud immigrant, and strong supporter of Jewish causes, died on June 2nd 2017 at the age of 86. Mr. Feldman's life mirrored that of modern Jewry over the 20th century. He was born in 1931 in Chernovitz at the time the city was part of Romania to an Orthodox Jewish family. His family had deep roots in the Hasidic and were direct descendants of the Chozeh M'Lublin who brought the Hasidic movement to Poland. His Zionist family immigrated to Israel when he was three and he grew up in Tel Aviv. He was proud of his participation in the youth movement supporting the Haganah and at 19 served in the Israeli Air Force during the War of Independence, building communication towers and supervising 50 soldiers. His family later housed and supported relatives who moved to Israel after surviving the Holocaust. He received a B.S. in electrical engineering and mechanical engineering from the Technion in 1955. Following his graduation, Mr. Feldman received the Benjamin Cooper Fellowship to study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he received a Master in Science in Industrial Management. Israel also studied at the Harvard School of Applied Math and studied at The New School for Social Research. Mr. Feldman married Judith Feldman in 1958 and they had three boys, Dan, Joel and Ron; all four survive him. Mr. Feldman started his career in the late 1950s and early1960s with many information technology pioneers including Honeywell, MITRE, and Univac. He transitioned to senior level IT related positions in the Federal Government for agencies including Health, Education and Welfare, the Postal Service and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Starting in the late 1970s, Mr. Feldman-based on his private and public sector experience-created multiple organizations offering media, training and conference services (USPDI 1977-1988) aimed at connecting private sector providers of information technology services to those in government who used and purchased those services. One of the first to recognize the burgeoning federal government computer market, he founded Government Computer News which he sold to Ziff-Davis in the mid 1980s and E-Gov which he sold to 101 Communications in 2001. His focus on IT, providing free content supported by advertising, linking media to conferences, were all far ahead of his time. Mr. Feldman also chaired the US-Israel Business Exchange. Mr. Feldman was a generous philanthropist, particularly with regard to his alma matter Technion, becoming the first Technion graduate to become a Guardian. He was on the Board of the American Technion Society and on the Board of Governors of the Technion where he endowed the Chair of the Computer Department. He also supported Camp Ramah, the Federation, and Israel Bonds among many other causes. Mr. Feldman was a longstanding and active member of B'nai Israel Congregation in Rockville, MD. He married Sharon Doner in 2008. Sharon and Izzy continued to support a wide range of important causes and loved to travel. Sharon was a loving wife to Izzy, and was a wonderful partner to him during their marriage. Mr. Feldman loved his eight grandchildren. He specialized in performing magic tricks for them, which he often enjoyed more than the audience. Funeral services will be held on Sunday, June 4, 2017, 2 p.m. at B'nai Israel Congregation, 6301 Montrose Road, Rockville, MD 20852. Interment following at Judean Memorial Gardens, Olney, MD. Shiva will be observed at the late residence Sunday through Friday with minyan at 7 p.m. Donations may be made to American Technion Society or the Feldman Family Fund at B'nai Israel. Arrangements entrusted to TORCHINSKY HEBREW FUNERAL HOME, 202-541-1001 (endorsed by The Rabbinical Council of Greater Washington).Arrangements entrusted to TORCHINSKY HEBREW FUNERAL HOME, 202-541-1001 (endorsed by The Rabbinical Council of Greater Washington).