Harry Posner, prominent Jewish philanthropist and a major benefactor of Tufts University, died here yesterday at the age of 81. A founder of the Combined Jewish Appeal in Medford, where he lived, Mr. Posner served as its honorary chairman for more than two decades.
Born in Mohilev, Russia, Mr. Posner came to the United States at the turn of the century and founded his own paper box firm which he headed since 1914. An active supporter of causes in the fields of hospital care and medical research, Mr. Posner established the Daniel E. Ziskin Memorial Research Laboratory at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in memory of his wife’s brother. In 1953, he and Mrs. Posner presented a gift of $1,086,000 to Tufts University, earmarked for medical education. He also founded the Jewish Home for the Aged which he helped maintain.
During a visit to Israel five years ago, Mr. Posner created special funds to establish libraries in numerous settlements. In Haifa, he created a fund to develop the musical interests of children. He was also a supporter of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.