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  Leadership Briefing
The Jewish Federations of North America
Jewish Federations mourns Naphtali Lau-Lavie, z”l
December 11, 2014

The Jewish Federations of North America mourn Naphtali Lau-Lavie, z”l, Holocaust survivor, former director of the United Jewish Appeal’s Israel office and a renowned diplomat and public figure in the Jewish and Israeli world. Lau-Lavie passed away this past Saturday at the age of 88.
 
During his long and illustrious life, Lau-Lavie held a number of prominent roles in the Jewish and Israeli communities. Among them, he served as director-general of UJA from 1985 to 1992. He also served as Israel’s consul general in New York, as vice chair of the World Jewish Restitution Organization and as a longtime correspondent for Haaretz.
 
Born in Krakow, Poland in 1926, Lau-Lavie was the son of a prominent European rabbi who served in Romania, Slovakia and Poland. At the start of World War II, Lau-Lavie was sent with his family to the Piotrkow Ghetto in Poland, and was later sent to perform forced labor in Auschwitz. After 40 days, he was smuggled back to his family, only to be deported later to the Hortensia and Czestochowa camps. While Naphtali and his brother Yisrael – who later became chief rabbi of Israel – survived the Holocaust, their father Moshe Chaim, mother Chaya and younger brother Shmuel were all murdered. Naphtali often told the story of how he saved his brother by putting him in a burlap sack, which he slung over his shoulder.
 
After the war, Lau-Lavie immigrated to Israel, spending most of his years in Ramat Gan. He worked as a military correspondent and head of the news desk for Haaretz from 1956 to 1970, where he covered, among other events, the Eichmann trial in 1961. He later held numerous public positions, including advisor to Moshe Dayan, spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense and consul general in New York.  
 
In 1985, Lau-Lavie returned to Israel to head the Israel office of UJA. As director-general, he directed a wide range of activities, including overseas missions, public relations, Project Renewal and leadership seminars. Later, he served as vice chair of the World Jewish Restitution Organization, working with local and state governments to locate Jewish properties confiscated by the Nazi and communist governments in Eastern Europe.
 
“Naphtali was a true leader during what proved to be a very challenging time for both the Jewish People and the State of Israel,” said former UJA chair Marvin Lender. “For him, it was more than a job – it was a passion. He lived, ate and slept his responsibility to his people and country. Naphtali’s presence at UJA made a huge difference in the lives of hundreds of thousands of people who came to Israel, especially from the former Soviet Union and Ethiopia. When the history of the Jewish state is written, Naphtali will be one of those who truly made a difference. I will forever be indebted to him, and will continue to remember him as a dear, dear friend.”
 
Lau-Lavie is survived by his wife, Joan; his brother, Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau; four children, including Rabbi Dr. Benny Lau and numerous grandchildren. He is also survived by his nephew, Rabbi David Baruch Lau, the current chief rabbi of Israel.
 
May the memory of Naphtali Lau-Lavie be for a blessing, and may his entire family be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.