We mourn the passing of Dr. Seymour P. Lachman, z”l, an esteemed and beloved JCRC-NY Board Member for decades, long-time political, academic, and communal leader in the Jewish community, New York City and New York State, and mentor to JCRC-NY CEO Mark Treyger.

Dr. Lachman was the first Orthodox Jewish New York State Senator, serving five terms and as Deputy Minority Whip in his final term, and President of the New York City Board of Education.  He was a distinguished professor at Adelphi University and Wagner College and also served as Founding Director and Dean of the Hugh L. Carey Institute for Government Reform at Wagner.  An accomplished author, who published several books on New York politics, and a skilled communicator, Dr. Lachman served as Chair of the Greater New York Conference on Soviet Jewry and held leadership positions at many Jewish organizations, including UJA-Federation of New York. Dedicated to quality education for children, adolescents, and young adults, Dr. Lachman served as Chair of JCRC-NY’s Coalition for Higher Education in the 1980s and 1990s. He was appointed to the National Advisory Council on Bilingual Education by President Jimmy Carter and reappointed by President Ronald Reagan.

As a student at Brooklyn College, Seymour was President of the campus Hillel chapter and met his wife, Susan.  We extend our deepest condolences to Susan, their daughter, Mrs. Sharon (and Aaron) Chesir, and their son, Rabbi Eliezer (and Sarah) Lachman. May they all be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Yerushalayim.