Julius Jay Tanenbaum, naval veteran and real estate developer, dies at 99

"Born on January 2, 1926, to Jewish immigrants David and Rose Tanenbaum, Mr. Tanenbaum grew up on the streets of New York City at a time when discipline, grit, and resolve were the currencies of survival. He graduated from James Madison High School at just 16 and entered the University of Maryland as a student-athlete playing varsity football with the intent to become a doctor, but history had other plans."

"Returning from war, he completed his education and played for the Terrapins. To pay his way through college, Mr. Tanenbaum began building homes in Maryland - first for others and then for himself when he moved back to New York. He moved to Long Island and started his own residential development business, before eventually expanding into medical and office buildings, and later, shopping centers within the tristate area and beyond."

Julius Jay Tanenbaum was born January 2, 1926, to Jewish immigrant parents and grew up in Depression-era New York City. He graduated high school at 16 and enrolled at the University of Maryland as a student-athlete with an initial intention to study medicine. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy at 17 after Pearl Harbor and served as a Quartermaster Third Class in the Pacific aboard destroyers and LST 729 during major amphibious operations. After the war he completed college, built homes to finance his education, and launched a Long Island real estate career that expanded into medical, office, and shopping center developments. He stayed active in his company into his late 90s and died July 1, 2025, months before his 100th birthday.

Read at The Forward