SWAMPSCOTT — Philanthropist Robert Israel “Bob” Lappin died Friday morning at age 98.
Lappin is remembered in part for his philanthropy serving for young Jews living on the North Shore, including through his Lappin Foundation, an organization with a stated mission to “enhance Jewish pride” and “develop a connection to and love of Israel.”
The Lappin Foundation program Youth to Israel Adventure (Y2I) fully subsidized travels to Israel for generations of young Jews.
“It is with great sadness I announce the passing of Robert Israel Lappin,” said Lappin Foundation Executive Director Deborah Coltin in a statement. “Successful businessman, philanthropist, and visionary, Bob Lappin was well-known and highly regarded locally and internationally for Lappin Foundation’s innovative Youth to Israel Adventure (Y2I), which he created 50 years ago and has funded ever since.”
“He believed it wasn’t enough to teach about the beauty of Judaism; people needed the knowledge, tools and the authentic experience of all that Judaism offers,” Coltin said.
Lappin’s career as a businessman spanned 70 years, during which he worked in manufacturing and real estate, also overseeing the prominent business park, Shetland Park, in Salem.
Lappin, a lifelong resident of Massachusetts, grew up in Salem, and graduated from Salem High School in 1939. He went on to graduate from Dartmouth College in 1943.
Lappin served four years in the U.S. Navy as an officer on the USS Cecil, a ship that provided relief communications in the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa in World War II.
As an adult, Lappin lived in Marblehead and Swampscott, and was awarded honorary doctorates from Salem State University and Gordon College for his charitable works, and was a past president of the Jewish Foundation of the North Shore.
“Bob truly embraced life and all that came his way, appreciating the good and dealing with the bad, including the (Bernie) Madoff fraud in 2008, which wiped out all of the assets of the Robert I. Lappin Supporting Foundation, totaling eight million dollars,” Coltin said.
Friday night a memorial to Lappin was posted on the Lappin Foundation’s website. It recalled Lappin’s recent sharing of his high school notebook from 1939, in which he wrote, “My idea of success is to earn an honest living, be a respected citizen in the community, and most of all live happily. There is, however, one point I failed to mention which I believe is an absolute necessity in securing real success. This is to be of service to my fellow man.”
Lappin’s wife of more than 71 years, Mimi, died in March of 2018. He is survived by his children, Andy and Diane Lappin, Peter Lappin and Nancy Lappin, and grandchildren, Lauren, Danielle, Alex, Ben, Jackie and Matt. Lappin’s burial will be private.