Tag Archives: American Jews

Jew of the Week: Bernard Baruch

Bernard Baruch

Bernard Mannes Baruch (1870-1965) was born in South Carolina to German-Jewish immigrants. His father was a doctor specializing in hydrotherapy and appendectomies, and a key military surgeon in the Civil War. The family moved to New York City, where Baruch first worked as an office boy for $3 a week. After college, he became a stock broker and made a fortune trading sugar (though he would lose and regain his fortune several times). By 30, he was among the most successful financiers of all time, nicknamed “The Lone Wolf of Wall Street” as he worked independently and resisted joining a financial house. In 1916, Baruch left finance and became an adviser to President Woodrow Wilson. He was soon the chairman of the War Industries Board and managed America’s economic mobilization for World War I. At the end of the war, Baruch attended the Paris Peace Conference and was a central supporter of the League of Nations (the precursor of the UN). Baruch continued to advice future presidents, including Roosevelt, whom he helped to create the National Recovery Administration for fair business, industry and labour practices. After World War II, Baruch worked at the UN, particularly to stem nuclear arms proliferation. He would be sought as an adviser until the last days of his life, counselling a total of nine American presidents. He was famous for discussing global issues and politics while sitting on public benches in Central Park (in NYC) and Lafayette Park (in Washington, DC) and was thus called the “Park Bench Statesman”. Baruch was also a noted philanthropist throughout his life, contributing millions to charities and colleges. Click here to learn a few investment tips from Bernard Baruch.

Words of the Week

There are free men with the spirit of a slave, and slaves whose spirit is full of freedom. He who is true to his inner self is a free man, while he whose entire life is merely a stage for what is good and beautiful in the eyes of others, is a slave.
– Rabbi Avraham Itzhak Kook

Jew of the Week: Jackie Mason

King of Comedy

Renowned Comedian Yacov Moshe Maza aka Jackie Mason

World-famous comedian and actor Jackie Mason (b. 1931) was born Yacov Moshe Maza in Wisconsin, and grew up in Manhattan. His father and grandfather were rabbis, and so were his three brothers. At 25, Yacov was ordained as a rabbi, too, though he’d always dreamed of being a comedian. Three years later, he resigned to follow his passion (click here to see Jackie discuss his transformation from rabbi to comedian). He first performed at a New York hotel but was soon let go for ridiculing the audience – something that is central to comedy today but was unheard of at the time. He gained more fame after several acts on The Ed Sullivan Show (including the episode that debuted The Beatles). Mason went on to star in some of the most successful one-man comedy shows on Broadway, including The World According to Me and Politically Incorrect. He also acted in many films and TV shows, and even won an Emmy Award for voicing Rabbi Hyman Krustofski on The Simpsons. Off the stage, Mason has been a vocal supporter of Israel, a hard-liner who opposed the Oslo process, and is a founder of One Jerusalem, an organization that works to ensure the city remains Israel’s undivided capital. A proud Jew, describing himself “as Jewish as a matzah ball or kosher salami”, he filed (and won) a lawsuit against ‘Jews for Jesus’ for using his image, accusing the organization of fishing for converts to Christianity. Mason continues to entertain and enlighten audiences, and now has over 200 video blogs on YouTube, most of which are humorous commentaries on current events and politics.

Words of the Week

We have paralyzed ourselves by our sickening fear of World Opinion, which is why we find it impossible to face one simple fact: We will never win this war unless we immediately threaten to drive every Arab out of Israel if the killing doesn’t stop.
– Jackie Mason

Jew of the Week: Charles Lazarus

Toys “R” Us!

Charles Lazarus and the original Children’s Supermarket

Charles P. Lazarus (b. 1923) was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up working in his father’s bicycle shop. After returning from combat in World War II, he opened his first business, a baby furniture store called ‘Children’s Bargain Town’. In 1950, Lazarus responded to customer requests and began selling baby toys in his store. He quickly realized that toys are a much better business than furniture, as they break often, get boring quickly, and parents are always looking for new gifts for their kids. Lazarus had a vision of toys becoming an everyday commodity, as opposed to a seasonal item. He decided to try a new store concept, modelling on the self-serve grocery stores that were becoming very popular at the time. Thus, Lazarus opened the first ‘Children’s Supermarket’, which still stands today in Washington. His motto: “Give the customer what they want.” In 1957, as business boomed, Lazarus opened a second store, calling it ‘Toys “R” Us’. The chain has since expanded to over 1,600 locations around the world, employing over 100,000 people, and becoming one of the most recognizable brands globally. Lazarus personally oversaw the bulk of this growth, running his company for 46 years before stepping down as CEO and Chairman in 1994. The company continues to give back to the community with its Children’s Fund donating millions of dollars to countless children’s programs. Recently, Toys “R” Us began to cover the roof of its distribution centre with solar panels, creating a 5.4 megawatt, clean energy generator – the largest such project in North America.

Words of the Week

There is no such country as Palestine. ‘Palestine’ is a term the Zionists invented. There is no Palestine in the Bible. Our country was for centuries part of Syria. ‘Palestine’ is alien to us. It is the Zionists who introduced it.
– Auni Bey Abdul-Hadi, Syrian Arab leader to British Peel Commission, 1937