Erwin Zaban, 88, Godfather of the Jewish community

By Bill Hendrick

For the AJC

After quitting school to help in his father’s Depression-era business at age 15, native Atlantan Erwin Zaban never looked back, building highly successful businesses worth billions of dollars and donating millions to charities and worthy causes.

He gave and raised money for undeveloped pastureland in Dunwoody that became what is now Zaban Park, home of the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta. Thousands of children now frolic there weekly. He donated money for the Jewish Home, for which the Zaban Tower is named. And there is a shelter for homeless couples at The Temple that he basically created.

“We’ve had people go through and then graduate from college and become homeowners who otherwise might be on the street,” says Alvin Sugarman, 72, now a rabbi emeritus at The Temple who was a lifelong friend. “That was his passion.”

Zep was formed in 1937 as an industrial maintenance company. Later it merged into National Linen Service, which evolved into National Service Industries, an Atlanta-based Fortune 500 company.

At one time, says longtime friend and business associate Harry Maziar, the company had annual revenues in excess of $2 billion.

“He was Godfather of the Jewish community,” says Maziar, 75.

Zaban, 88, died at his home early Tuesday of pneumonia after a lengthy illness, says his wife, Judy Oliver Zaban. Survivors include his three daughters Laura Dinerman and her husband, Marshall, Carol and Larry Cooper, and Sara and Robert Franco, all of the Atlanta area. He also is survived by nine grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.

Daughter Carol Cooper says “he took great pride in his grandchildren and their successes” and “would always say, ‘I started out as an only child and look at the family now’.”

The funeral is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Wednesday at The Temple on Peachtree Street, with private burial to follow at Crestlawn Cemetery. H.M. Patterson & Son – Spring Hill, is handling arrangements.

“He gave money to everybody, not just the Jewish community,” Maziar says. “He was an easy touch, and everybody loved him.” Maziar adds: “His legacy is, he truly made a difference.”

“His heart extended to everyone,” says Sugarman, who will officiate, along with The Temple’s senior rabbi, Peter Berg.

“He did so much good, not only for our Temple family but for the whole Jewish community and our city,” Sugarman says. “His trademark was his quiet, totally unassuming manner. Among all the innumerable acts of charity and kindness, he helped create a shelter for homeless couples at The Temple.”

In the early '80s, “when we needed some building upgrades … he helped launched around a $3 million fund-raising campaign,” Sugarman says. “He was a philanthropist both for the Jewish and non-Jewish communities and really set the bar on what it means to give of yourself. He’s been an inspiration to so many other philanthropists.”

J. Mack Robinson, 87, a longtime friend and business associate, says “Erwin Zaban was one of the most giving and generous men to this community, the epitome of a true gentleman. I am deeply saddened by his lost. Atlanta has lost one of its finest, and I have lost one of my best friends.”

Tom Johnson, former publisher of The Los Angeles Times and CEO of CNN for 11 years, says, “I have never known a sweeter, nicer, more generous man.” He says Zaban also was known for his sense of humor and “friendship more than any words can describe.”

Michael Wise, CEO of the Marcus Jewish Community Center, says the building at Zaban Park is named to honor Home Depot founder Bernie Marcus, but that the area is still known as Zaban Park.

“He was an amazing man,” Wise says. “His visionary leadership was really second to none. If money was needed, he would just call up a bunch of friends, and nobody could ever say no to Erwin Zaban. He was always the first person to write a check. He never liked to make pledges, he just wanted to write a check.”