Golda Och Academy Will Net $17.2 Million Donation from Holocaust Survivor

in West Orange will receive $17.2 million from long-time supporter and Holocaust survivor Eric F. Ross.

Before passing away on Sept. 8, 2010, Ross named the Jewish school in his will. The bequest was officially released this week.

"We are fortunate that Eric’s gift will help Golda Och Academy to continue to advance its mission by investing in academic excellence, while providing the necessary tuition subvention for our families, ensuring that future generations of students enjoy the best possible education," said Daniel Och, son of the school's founder.

Ross was a refugee from Nazi Germany and became one of the top-ranked American-Jewish philanthropists. He lived in South Orange, N.J. and Palm Beach, F.L. where he worked as a  manufacturer in the plastics industry.

The middle and high school campus on Pleasant Valley Way are named in honor of Ross after he made significant donations to the campus in 1991. The new campus broke ground in 2007 after a $4.5 million renovation largely funded by Ross.

He also provided annual travel grants for students in the Neshama 12th grade Israel program. The program was later renamed Lore Ross Neshama Program in honor of his wife who passed away in 2009.

"Eric Ross' ongoing interest in our school and our students and his pride in our mission and our accomplishments were so important to our institution," said Head of school, Dr. Joyce Raynor. "Eric visited our school many times and had weekly calls with me, when he always asked for updates on our projects, programs and, most of all, our students.  Our school was very special to him and he was very special to us.  We mourned his loss last year, knowing that a true friend of Golda Och Academy was no longer with us."

A special board will be created to ensure Ross' donation meets the school's most pressing needs.

"We are grateful and fortunate that Eric Ross chose Golda Och Academy as a recipient of his generosity and that through his largesse he has also distinguished us in the community and in the world of Jewish education," said Raynor. "All of us at Golda Och Academy owe him a great debt of gratitude."

The Solomon Schechter Day School of Essex and Union was . The school has two campuses in West Orange. One on Pleasant Valley Way and the other on Gregory Avenue.