Isramworld released a statement announcing the death of its owner and CEO A. Ady Gelber. In the statement, it said that Gelber died peacefully on April 10.
"The entire IsramWorld team of employees on 4 continents mourns Ady's departure from us, and we will continue to strive and expand in his memory," said Richard Krieger, president of The IsramWorld Portfolio of Brands. "There can be no greater testimony to Ady's ongoing vision and legacy."
Once asked what he felt was his greatest professional accomplishment, Gelber said "being the first tour operator to offer tours to Israel and Egypt in 1979, and opening our own office in Cairo."
Gelber was born in Romania in 1937. He and his family survived the Holocaust in Bucharest and immigrated to Israel in 1948.
Gelber's career in travel began in the airline industry with Alitalia and El Al. This brought him to New York and to Isram Travel. In his more than four decades at its helm, Gelber's energy and creativity transformed the one-destination "ethnic" tour operator into a multisubsidiary conglomerate that sends tens of thousands of American travelers annually to more than 60 countries.
For many years Isram was America's largest tour operator to the Holy Land and even as the company expanded, tourism to Israel remained dear to Gelber's heart.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
