Asriel Rackow: legend of leasing & management retires.

Asriel (Rickey) Rackow, Executive Managing Director of Jack Resnick & Sons, Inc., has announced his retirement after a 42-year career with the firm.

Rackow joined the firm in 1952 when it was a three person organization located in the Bronx, where most of the property owned by the firm at the time was located.

In 1956, Jack's son, Burt, now the President of the organization, joined the firm. In the years that followed, the Resnicks expanded their business to include many commercial and residential properties in Manhattan and moved their offices there in order to be more accessible to brokers and lending institutions and to play a more active role in Manhattan real estate.

The Resnick organization has developed and invested in some of the City's leading properties, developing and owning in excess of six million square feet of first class real estate in prime locations. Some of the notable Resnick buildings include One Seaport Plaza, 110 East 59th Street, 485 Madison Avenue, 20 Pine Street, 52 Broadway, 75 Park Place, Symphony House and Gracie Mews.

Mr. Rackow, "Rickey" to his many friends and acquaintances, directed a closely knit management and leasing operation that is widely regarded for its professionalism. He will be succeeded by Scott Resnick.

Rackow was appointed Vice President in 1968, Executive Vice President in 1972 and Executive Managing Director in 1992.

In his 42 years with the firm, he has negotiated well over a thousand leases involving millions of square feet of space and countless millions of dollars in rentals. He is frequently called on for advice and especially enjoys counseling young brokers or those who seek to enter the real estate field, which has been so rewarding to him.

He was actively involved in New York's real estate industry as a member of the Real Estate Board of New York and has served on many of its committees. He was a member of the Ethics and Professional Practices Committee. Mr. Rackow was also on the Board of Directors of the Realty Advisory Board of Labor Relations.

He is most proud of his abundant concern for Israel's economic future. He has a deep commitment to numerous philanthropic, humanitarian and cultural organizations. Rackow was Chairman of the Young Men's Division of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1978, and served that year as a Member of the Board of Overseers of the College.

He and his wife, Terry, are both Founders of the College, as well as Cancer Research Donors, and he received the Albert Einstein Humanitarian Award from the College in 1982. He is also a member of Temple Shaaray Tefila in Manhattan, supporter of the UJA Federation, the Hebrew Home for the Aged in Riverdale and numerous other charitable and non-sectarian organizations.

In providing economic assistance to the State of Israel, Rackow has long been active in the Israel Bonds organization. He received the Max J. Feld Achievement Award in 1991. He is also a member of the President's Club and served as Coordinating Co-Chairman and member of the Executive Committee of the Real Estate Industry campaign. Last year, he received the organization's highest award, The Israel Peace Medal, for "uncommon achievement and distinction."

Rackow, whose parents came to America from Russia in 1917, graduated from Stuyvesant High School and the Bernard Baruch College of New York City with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He served in the Army in World War II and was wounded in France, where he met his wife.

Burt Resnick said, "Rickey has been an invaluable part of this organization. He is one of the best real estate professionals this business has ever seen. We love him and wish him well in his retirement."