(JTA) — Gerald Posner, a founder and the former publisher of The Jewish Journal-Boston North newspaper, has died.
Posner died on his 87th birthday, Aug. 10, following a lengthy illness.
Posner’s major accomplishment was The Jewish Journal-Boston North, his son, Dr. Laurence Posner, told the paper. The biweekly was founded in 1977 with seed money from the Jewish Federation of the North Shore. Posner served as editor for several months at its start.
In 1992, Posner became the newspaper’s publisher after convincing its board of directors not to give up on the publication and sell it to a private individual. He left the paper, which was partially funded by the federation, in 2002 at the age of 80.
Posner grew up in Boston and attended Boston University, graduating in 1947. He served in the U.S. Air Corps during World War II in a unit that was awarded seven battle stars and a Presidential Citation. He became vice president of HMA Group and president of Inquiry Systems and Analysis Inc. of Boston.
He was a member of Temple Shalom of Salem for more than 50 years and served in many board positions. He also was active on the board of the Jewish Community Center of the North Shore, receiving the prestigious Samuel S. Stahl Community Service Award in 2002. He also served on the boards of the Jewish Federation and Aviv Centers for Living.
Along with his son, he is survived by his wife of 62 years, Sara; a daughter, Sharon Schoenholtz; a sister, Rena Levy; and six grandchildren.
