Ed Peskowitz approached philanthropy the same way he approached business: if something needed to be done and no structure existed to do it, he built one.
“If something didn’t exist … he would start the organization,” his daughter, Olivia Peskowitz Suter, said. “If something was already going on, he would fund it … and help put the right people in place.”
Edwin Ira “Ed” Peskowitz, a Brooklyn-born entrepreneur, Vietnam veteran and philanthropist who co-founded United Communications Group and later devoted much of his life to education initiatives, Middle East peace efforts and kidney donation advocacy, died on Feb. 22 in Washington. He was 81.
He spent most of his adult life in Washington, arriving in the mid-1970s interested in politics, policy and the role government plays in shaping industries.
Born on April 24, 1944, in Brooklyn, New York, he grew up in Flatbush in what his son, Zachary Peskowitz, described as a “typical Jewish childhood in Brooklyn in the 1950s.” His parents, Sam and Adele Peskowitz, emphasized education and Jewish life, sending him to Hebrew school and raising him in a home where Jewish identity was both cultural and religious.
“He had two very devoted parents who cared a lot about his education,” Zachary Peskowitz said.
He attended James Madison High School and went on to the State University of New York at Buffalo, where he studied history and political science and played varsity baseball. He later earned a master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh, where his interest in government and public affairs deepened and helped define his career.
Peskowitz served in the U.S. Army’s 25th Infantry Division in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969, earning the Bronze Star, Army Commendation Medal and Vietnam Service Medal. His children said he did not speak much about the war when they were young, but shared more in later years.
“He knew what it was like to be in the thick of war,” Suter said. “So later in life, when he had all the luxuries around him, he was able to appreciate it that much more.”
After his military service and graduate studies, he moved to Washington and began working as a speechwriter and legislative analyst for independent petroleum marketers, including the National Oil Jobbers Council. That work led him into journalism and publishing.
In 1977, he co-founded United Communications Group with Bruce Levenson. The company began as a newsletter covering the oil industry at a time of rapid change following the 1973 oil embargo and grew into a provider of specialized business information across industries.
Zachary Peskowitz said his father’s success came from discipline and people skills.
“He worked really hard and paid enormous attention to detail,” he said. “And he cared a lot about people — understanding their strengths and helping them find the role where they could be most effective.”
That combination of curiosity and relationship-building extended beyond business. Peskowitz became involved in professional sports ownership, including the Atlanta Hawks and Atlanta Thrashers, and later as a limited partner in the Philadelphia Eagles. His daughter said he was drawn to both the competition and the challenge.
“He loved solving problems,” Suter said. “Putting together a winning team — it was like a puzzle.”
Even as his business career expanded, philanthropy became a central focus. His children described a hands-on approach that often took place out of public view.
“He liked to be involved behind the scenes,” Zachary Peskowitz said. “He would dig in and try to help in a hands-on way.”
Education was a priority. He supported initiatives such as the “I Have a Dream”” Foundation and the SEED Public Charter School in Washington, motivated by a belief that opportunity should not depend on circumstance.
“He wanted other people to have the same opportunities that he had,” Zachary Peskowitz said.
Family was important to him. He was also devoted to his wife of 43 years, Penelope Peskowitz, with whom he shared much of his life outside of work.
A member of Washington Hebrew Congregation, they raised their family with Jewish education and traditions and supported organizations including the Anti-Defamation League and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
“He cared deeply about preventing discrimination and giving people a fair chance,” his son said.
Peskowitz also directed significant efforts toward Israel and Middle East peace initiatives. He funded programs that brought people from different backgrounds together, including a forum for retired Jordanian and Israeli generals to continue dialogue after official meetings had stopped.
“He wanted nothing more than there to be peace,” Suter said.
One of his most personal projects was the Friendship Games, which brought young athletes from different backgrounds together in Israel. The goal, his son said, was modest but meaningful.
“If 10 people or 100 people could understand each other a little better, that would be a success,” Zachary Peskowitz said.
In 2019, Peskowitz received an altruistic kidney donation, an experience that reshaped his final years. He became involved in efforts to expand access to transplants and support living donation. He died due to complications from kidney disease six years after his transplant.
“My dad’s kidney transplant changed everything,” Suter said. “He made it his mission that nobody would be without a kidney.”
He supported organizations including the Alliance for Paired Kidney Donation and worked to improve systems that match donors and recipients.
Family remained central throughout his life. His children described him as engaged and present despite the demands of his career.
“He always had time for us,” Suter said. “Whatever we were interested in, he would find interest in.”
He was also a devoted grandfather to Sophie Suter, Roy Suter, Adiraj Peskowitz and Vikram Peskowitz, taking joy in everyday moments — attending activities and spending time together.
“He loved his grandchildren so much,” his daughter said. “He wanted to make the world a better, more peaceful place for them.”
Peskowitz’s children said his life was defined less by titles or positions than by action — identifying problems and working to address them.
“He would come up with an idea or see a need,” Suter said, “and then he would run with it.”
Ellen Braunstein is a freelance writer.
