Israeli high-tech pioneer Yehuda Zisapel passes at 82
Israeli high-tech pioneer Yehuda Zisapel passes at 82
Zisapel, together with his brother Zohar, who passed away last year, founded the RAD Group, which at its peak included more than 20 independent high-tech companies
Yehuda Zisapel, one of the founders of the high-tech industry in Israel, died on Sunday at the age of 82. In the 1980s, Zisapel, together with his brother Zohar, founded the RAD Group, which at its peak included more than 20 independent high-tech companies - most of them in the field of computer communications. Among the companies were RAD Data Communications, Radware, Radwin, RADCOM, Silicom Connectivity Solutions and Ceragon Networks.
Together with his brother Zohar, Yehuda Zisapel contributed to various non-profit organizations, to technological research and to the promotion of Israeli high-tech. A couple of years ago, the two received the highest award given by the Technion, for "a life's work for the Technion and for a contribution to the advancement of humanity, the well-being of the Jewish people and the State of Israel." The Technion announcement states that the award was given for "being one of the pillars of the Israeli startup nation... for their educational, social and philanthropic activities, focused on nurturing young men and women from the periphery and promoting excellence in Israeli education."
In a conversation with Calcalist, Dror Bin, CEO of the Israel Innovation Authority and former CEO of RAD, stated, "Yehuda was a man with vision, a man with the ability to execute, and above all, a leader. In the early eighties, when the high-tech industry was in its infancy, Yehuda dreamed, established, and expanded, alongside his brother Zohar, what is now known as the RAD Binat Group. This group encompasses dozens of global companies operating from Israel and employing thousands of individuals. Yehuda was not only a top-tier businessman and technology expert but also a staunch Zionist who, in every business decision, prioritized the welfare of the State of Israel and its economy."
