Max Etra Dead at 83

Funeral services for Max Etra, noted attorney and communal leader who served as chairman of the Board of Trustees of Yeshiva University for nearly a quarter of a century during the institution’s greatest period of growth and development, were held Thursday at congregation Kehilath Jeshurun in Manhattan.

Etra, who served as president of the congregation for 29 years, was found dead in his home Wednesday morning. He was 83 years old.

Senior partner in the New York City law firm of Etra and Etra, Max Etra served as chairman of the university’s board from 1953 to 1977 and was then named chairman emeritus of the Board of Trustees. Etra, who was a benefactor of the university, was honored on March 25 by the undergraduates of the institution at a special centennial celebration. In addition to his chairmanship of the Board of Trustees, Etra served as a member of all of the university’s affiliated Boards, including the Board of Trustees of the University’s affiliated Rabbi Elchanan Theological Seminary, the Board of Directors of the Benjamin Cardozo School of Law, and the Board of Governors of the Wurzweiler School of Social Work.

Prominently identified with leading local and national religious, educational, health, and welfare organizations, Etra received many honors and tributes.

He was honored by the Rabbinical Council of America, the United Jewish Appeal-Federation, and the Jewish Welfare Board. He received the Shofar Award from the Boy Scouts of America.

Etra was honorary president of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, vice president of Beth Israel Hospital in New York, a founder of the Ramaz School and chairman of the American Jewish Tercentenary Committee, and a member of the American Jewish Historical Society.

Etra was born in Rymanov, Poland, the son of Aaron and Sarah (Goldman) Etra. He was brought to the United States at the age of four. He graduated from City College of New York in 1924, and earned his law degree from Fordham University Law School in 1928.