FRIEDMAN--Ben-Ami, city planner, avid gardener, and self-taught historian, died on Sunday, July 21, 2019 at Mt. Sinai Hospital surrounded by his family. Born on April 10, 1935 in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, CA, Ben-Ami was the son of Meyer and Adina Friedman who escaped the pogroms in Eastern Europe. As a leader in Habonim Dror, he grew up with the ideology of Tikkun Olam, Hebrew for "mending the world" and focused his career on community/urban revitalization and historical/environmental preservation. He attended Roosevelt High School, Cal Poly SLO and USC and worked at the Pasadena Redevelopment Agency, Great Western United Corporation, William L. Pereira Associates, the Port Authority New York/ New Jersey, and New York City Office of Strategic Planning. Later in life, he dedicated his efforts to preserving a beautiful watershed in Otsego County, New York, envisioning the Butternut Valley Alliance. He is survived by his wife, Carla, four children: Jessica, of Davis, CA; Ilana and her husband Bryan of Beacon, NY; Jacob and his wife Robin of Scarsdale, NY; and Matthew and his wife Laura of New York, NY; and four grandchildren: Asher, Charles, Samara and Sage. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his name to the Butternut Valley Alliance, 111 County Highway 10, Morris, NY 13808.