Dr. Joseph Walder, 73, OBM

By COLlive reporter

Dr. Joseph A. Walder, a Chicago resident who created a charitable foundation from the sale of his biotechnology company and supported Chabad, Orthodox and Israeli causes, passed away.

Walder, M.D., Ph.D. was a professor of biochemistry at the University of Iowa College of Medicine before starting his own company, Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT), in 1987 through a partnership with Baxter Healthcare Corporation.

IDT had a modest satellite office in Lubavitch Chabad of Skokie with three employees in 1994. This Illinois branch of IDT has given honorable employment to hundreds of Torah observant Jews in an environment rich with Torah ideals, and mitzvah observance.

IDT became the world’s leading provider of synthetic RNA and DNA used in life sciences research. It helps scientists analyze the genetic makeup of all organisms, supporting numerous medical and other applications, from finding cures for diseases to finding new biological solutions for cleaning up our natural resources.

One of its beneficiaries is the Dor Yeshorim program which successfully eliminates the agonizing occurrence of fatal and debilitating genetic diseases in Jewish families worldwide through its premarital genetic screening program.

In its first 10 years, IDT grew from a startup with 10 synthesizing machines to a small company with more than 500, shipping an average 75,000 custom oligos per day to more than 82,000 customers worldwide.

Dr. Walder held numerous patents for his pioneering breakthrough technologies. In March 2018, IDT was acquired by Danaher Corporation for a reported $1.9 billion.

With the massive profit, Dr. Walder and his wife Elizabeth (Shira Malka) Walder created the Walder Foundation, a private family foundation based in Skokie, Illinois.

With a deep interest in Jewish affairs, the Walders support dozens—if not hundreds—of institutions around the country, in Israel, and throughout the world.

They are the driving force behind the Chabad Early Childhood Education Network, a division of the Shluchim Office in New York, which provides resources and support to several hundred preschools across the country.

Closer to home, their visionary generosity has impacted the entire Chicagoland community through the myriad of programs and mosdos in which they play a pivotal role.

A few notable examples include: The Kehillah Fund for Jewish Education which provides over $850,000 per year in financial support to Jewish Day Schools in the ATT system; the Walder Education Pavilion of Torah Umesorah, which provides invaluable resources to educators all over the world; and Walder Science Center.

The Walders strongly believe in the critical importance of high-quality Jewish education for the youngest children. At this age, children are beginning to develop their sense of self, and with the right educational tools we can truly inspire their Judaism for the rest of their lives.

In 2016, Walder was presented with the Chicago Torah Visionary Award on the occasion of the dedication of the Yeshivas Ohr Eliyahu – Lubavitch Mesivta of Chicago, as well as in appreciation of their visionary Torah leadership in Chicago and around the world.

The levayah will be held on Wednesday at 8 a.m. at Ateres Ayala located at 3412 W Touhy Avenue in Skokie, IL.

Baruch Dayan Haemes.