By Grace Gilson
Jewish institutions in New York City are reeling after a prominent and beloved communal leader was among the victims of a mass shooting on Monday, July 28, in midtown Manhattan.
Wesley Meredith Mittman LePatner, 43, was a board member for UJA-Federation of New York and The Heschel School, where her name is now listed as “z’l” in memoriam. She received UJA’s Alan C. Greenberg Young Leadership Award in 2023.
She was also involved at Manhattan’s Altneu Synagogue, according to co-founder Avital Chizik-Goldschmidt.
LePatner was married to Evan LePatner, founder and managuing partner of Courizon Partners investment firm, and had a young son and daughter.
LePatner was the global head of core+ real estate and CEO of Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust, one of the world’s largest investment firms, according to her Linkedin.
The shooting occurred at an office building in Midtown Manhattan that is home to the headquarters of the National Football league and Blackstone. The alleged shooter, identified by authorities as Shane Tamura of Las Vegas, killed four people, including a New York City police officer, Didarul Islam, 36, an immigrant from Bangladesh, and wounded a fifth before taking his own life.
While a motive has not been officially announced, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said police are investigating a note from the suspected gunman reportedly referring to potential links to the NFL and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a neurodegenerative disease linked to head trauma.
“We’re still investigating, this is relatively new,” Adams said. “There’s no more than just a note at this time and as you indicated he talked about CTE.”
Before joining Blackstone in 2014, LePatner spent over a decade at Goldman Sachs. She also worked in Goldman Sachs’ Real Estate Principal Investment Area and Real Estate Investment Banking Group, where she began her career.
LePatner received a bachelor’s degree in history from Yale University, summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. She served on the boards of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Yale University Library Council and the Advisory Board of Governors of National Association of Real Etate Investment Trusts.
“We are heartbroken to share that our colleague, Wesley LePatner, was among those who lost their lives in the tragic incident at 345 Park Avenue,” Blackstone said in a statement. “Words cannot express the devastation we feel. Wesley was a beloved member of the Blackstone family and will be sorely missed. She was brilliant, passionate, warm, generous, and deeply respected within our firm and beyond. She embodied the best of Blackstone. Our prayers are with her husband, children and family. We are also saddened by the loss of the other innocent victims as well, including brave security personnel and NYPD.”
In a social media post, author and television personality Bruce Feiler wrote, “Wesley LePatner … was the best of humankind. We served on a board together at Yale, where she met her husband on their first day of college in 1999. At 43, she was the most effortless and impressive person — you wanted to follow her wherever she went. A mentor to young women and generous friend to everyone who knew her, she was on the board of her children’s Jewish day school, recently joined the board of The Met, and just felt in every way like the kind of leader we all want and need in these unsettling times. I howled when I heard the news and haven’t stopped shaking since.”
In a statement, the UJA said, “Wesley was extraordinary in every way — personally, professionally, and philanthropically. An exceptional leader in the financial world, she brought thoughtfulness, vision, and compassion to everything she did. … In the wake of October 7, Wesley led a solidarity mission with UJA to Israel, demonstrating her enduring commitment in Israel’s moment of heartache. She lived with courage and conviction, instilling in her two children a deep love for Judaism and the Jewish people. We mourn the loss of a life taken far too soon and extend our heartfelt condolences to her husband, Evan; her children; and her entire family.”
Grace Gilson wrote this article for the JTA global Jewish news source. Jmore staff contributed to this article.
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