Zeff, Kalman (Kal), 1926 - 2005

Dates

• Existence: December 25, 1926 - July 2, 2005

Biography

Kalman (Kal) Zeff (December 25, 1926 - July 2, 2005) was born in Magdiel, Israel. In high school, he was good friends with Ariel Sharon, a former prime minister of Israel. Kal almost died in 1948 on Mount Carmel while fighting for Israel's independence as a member of Israel's underground army. He graduated from the Technion in Israel with a degree in engineering in 1951, and came to Colorado in 1953 to do graduate work. In 1956, he graduated from CU with a master's degree in civil engineering. He founded Geotek Consultants in 1960, a soil and foundation engineering firm. He ventured into real estate, founding an apartment development and management company, Carmel Companies, after Mount Carmel. He was described as the great-godfather of Denver apartment developers, developing and owning more than 10,000 apartments. Carmel Companies is believed to be the largest owner of apartments in the Denver metro area. Kal was known as modest and low-profile despite his success, and was known for holding on to apartments through hard economic times. He served on the board of directors for the Technion, and was the Colorado chapter president. In 2002, he created a $5 million endowment fund through Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado to support the Technion. Kal and his wife Joyce, who were married December 31, 1958, provided support to Jewish Family Services and its programs for two decades. He was buried in his birthplace in Palestine. Kal was survived by his wife, their children Diana Zeff Anderson, Ron Zeff, Michaeol Zeff, and Dana Zeff, sister Jaffa Herzfeld, and 10 grandchildren. An obituary for Kal can be found in a 2005 edition of the IJN.

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