Joseph Mukamal

December 31, 1932 – January 12, 2022

Joseph J Mukamal was born in Baghdad, the first of 6 children to Jacob and Salima (nee Yona) Mukamal.

He was born on the last day of Hanukkah. When arriving in the United States at age 9, his birthday was determined by the last day of Hanukkah in the year he arrived. Like so many Jewish families in Baghdad, his father, Jacob, decided to emigrate to New York to escape persecution, as Iraq formed alliances with Nazi Germany during WWII. The family was Jacob, Salima, Joseph, Leonie, Suad, Violet, Dais and Sassoon (just a baby at the time). They traveled by land to Palestine and then on a cargo ship from Palestine to NYC by traveling around the Cape of Good Hope. In NY, they settled in Cedarhurst, LI.

Joseph finished high school in 3 years and attended Temple University and New York University where he attained his bachelor’s in business. Joseph met his wife, Minna (nee Lapoff) of 65 years when his sisters, Leonie, Suad and Violet met her at Hofstra University Hillel and brought her home to meet him. They were married on December 2, 1956. Joseph served in the armed forces during the Korean War, stationed in Fort Dix, NJ.

Joseph and Minna raised five children: Beth, Caryl (b. 1958), Alan (b. 1963), Daniel (b. 1965), Sheldon (b. 1967) in Massapequa Park on Long Island, NY. After the death of his parents, Joseph was the center of the extended family and beloved uncle and great-uncle.

Joseph worked most of his life in the financial sector, as an equity and bond trader for firms like Glore-Forgan, DuPont, Brown Brothers Harriman, and the City of New York Comptroller’s Office, commuting from their home in Massapequa Park. He received a master’s in business from NYU attending night school. In 1980, he reinvented himself as a personal financial advisor, working for Bache Halsey (later Prudential) in Massapequa Park. He retired in his early 80’s from Merrill Lynch, but not from the stock market, which he followed avidly till his last days.

He is survived by his wife Minna, sisters Leonie, Suad, Violet and Dais and brother Sass and sister in-law Louise, all five children, son-in-law Michael Melasky, daughters-in-law Elizabeth Ernish, Gail Turletsky-Mukamal, and Kiyeon Nam-Mukamal as well as 12 grandchildren (Janna Melasky, Matthew Melasky, and Diane Melasky-Praschil and husband George Praschil, Max DePiro and wife Allison DePiro, Sarah Iadanza, husband Jesse Iadanza and Emma DePiro, Miles Mukamal, Josie Mukamal, Alex Mukamal, Jared Mukamal, Maia Mukamal and Salima Mukamal) and 3 great-grandchildren (Ryan and Evelyn Praschil and Penelope Iadanza).

After a 12-day battle with super-imposed COVID pneumonia, he died at 3:15 pm on January 12, 2022, at Huntington Hospital. Services will be at IJ MORRIS 21 East Deer Park Road Dix Hills Ny 11746 10am on Friday the 14th. You are welcome to watch the service vie the attached link if you can attend the service at the funeral home. https://client.tribucast.com/tcid/2481348746.