Construction Zone

The LifeTown construction project was a labor of love for Ivan Sobel. LifeTown combined two of his passions, his love for children and his years of experience in real estate development and construction. Throughout the design and construction phases of the project, Ivan volunteered his time and attended every meeting.

“Ivan’s decades of construction experience and his dedication to the project and our goals made him an inimitable part of the team,” said Rabbi Zalman Grossbaum. “It would be impossible to qualify and quantify the impact that he had on the final product that the kids enjoy every day.”

While Ivan was able to enjoy the opening of LifeTown, he passed less than a year later, in August 2020. Sobel, who spent his career in building and real estate at Atlantic Realty, was born in Hungary to Holocaust survivors and grew up in Queens.

In his memory, Ivan’s Construction Corner was dedicated at LifeTown on May 22 with family and friends in attendance. This amazing space allows kids to use soft building blocks and their imaginations to build anything they can dream up.

The dedication was attended by family and friends who paid tribute to Ivan’s spirit, humor, wisdom and deep love of family and friends.