Remembering Felix Posen, 1928–2025
Felix Posen was an innovative businessman and philanthropist. Led by his vision for teaching Judaism not merely as a religion but as a civilization with shared cultural, historical, and social characteristics, he broke the mold of Jewish philanthropy in a way that will reverberate for generations to come.
Felix, founder of the Posen Library, was born in 1928 in Berlin. In 1938, following Kristallnacht, his family fled the city—first to Britain and later to the United States. He completed his studies at Johns Hopkins University and, after serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, began a career in business. He co-founded a company engaged in the trading of oil, metals, and minerals, which took him in 1962 to Tokyo and in 1968 to London, where he lived with his family for 52 years.
In the early 1980s, Felix founded the Posen Foundation, making significant contributions to Jewish education and culture over the years. In addition to the establishment of The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, the Foundation has supported initiatives in Israel focused on the teaching and study of secular Jewish life. The Foundation, now led by Felix’s son, Daniel Posen, continues to expand on Felix’s enormous cultural legacy.