Departures of note

Judah Gribetz was an American lawyer and influential government aide, best known for his pivotal role in resolving New York City's fiscal crisis during the 1970s and for designing a landmark Holocaust restitution plan. Born on April 1, 1929, in Brooklyn, New York, to Abraham and Ida Gribetz, he pursued his education at Boys High School in Bedford-Stuyvesant before earning bachelor's and law degrees from Columbia University and a master's degree from New York University. He served in the Navy and later entered private law practice. Gribetz gained prominence as counsel to New York Governor Hugh L. Carey during the mid-1970s, playing a key role in negotiations with the city's mayor, Abraham D. Beame, during a time of severe financial instability. His conciliatory approach was credited with helping to stabilize the city's finances. Returning to private practice in 1979, Gribetz remained active in civic affairs, serving as president of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York. He was also a co-author of the book "The Timetables of Jewish History: A Chronology of the Most Important People and Events in Jewish History" (1993). In 1999, Gribetz was appointed by a federal judge as special master to oversee the distribution of $1.25 billion in restitution funds from Swiss banks to Holocaust survivors and other victims of Nazi persecution. His complex, 900-page plan, known as the Gribetz Plan, was instrumental in ensuring fair compensation for over half a million claimants. He passed away on July 3, 2026, at the age of 97 in his home in Queens, New York.