From his earliest days in yeshivah, Yitz “Adam” Friedman treasured and appreciated his pedigree and family tradition—something that never left him even in his decades in the cutthroat public-relations scene of Manhattan. He passed away on April 10 after contracting COVID-19.

Friedman was a descendant of the revered rebbe of Ruzhin, Rabbi Yisroel Friedman, and his children, the leaders of the Chassidic courts of Sadigura and Rachmastrivk. Born in 1945, he appreciated his roots and took his studies seriously as a young man at Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Transitioning to the business world, Friedman retained his Chassidic sensibilities and zeal for Torah study.

Finding a place in the public-relations industry, he went on to establish his own firm, Adam Friedman Associates, in 1999. He also taught crisis communications, integrated marketing and public affairs as adjunct assistant professor at New York University.

Well-known for his kindness, when the global financial crisis of 2008 devastated the job market, Friedman helped find job placements for those who lost their income.

Bruce Schanzer remembered Friedman in an online tribute, writing “I got to know Yitz when I moved to New Rochelle [N.Y.] and became an admirer of his during the 2008 recession, when he headed a committee to help people who were unemployed or experiencing financial stress. His genuine empathy for all those who were stressed and affected by this crisis was sincere and personal. He cared about each individual and worked hard and with great sensitivity to help them.”

With his health in mind, Friedman began running in his late 40s and had run nine marathons by the time of his passing.

His family and friends remembered him in a moving service conducted online and well-attended by the New Rochelle and Manhattan communities he had touched over the course of his impactful lifetime.

He is survived by his wife of more than 50 years, Shirley; their three sons; and several grandchildren.

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