Tag Archives: Philanthropists

Jew of the Week: Larry Ellison

A Mega Philanthropist

Larry Ellison

Lawrence Joseph Ellison (b. 1944) was born in New York and raised in Chicago by his aunt and uncle, who were his adoptive parents. Ellison studied computer programming at the University of Illinois but dropped out following the death of his adoptive mother. He moved to California shortly after, and bounced from one job to the next for eight years before settling at the Ampex Corporation. There, he worked on a project (code-named “Oracle”) to create database software for the CIA. A few years later, he put in $1200 of his own money (and $800 from two partners) to start a new company, Software Development Laboratories. By 1982, IBM started using their program and the company (now renamed Oracle Systems Corporation) was making millions. At the end of the first decade of the new millennium, Ellison was ranked as the highest-paid executive of any company, earning nearly $2 billion. Between 1997 and 2002, he was on the board of directors of Apple. In 2010, Ellison had Oracle acquire Sun Microsystems, another tech giant, for $7.4 billion. The following year, Forbes ranked Ellison the 5th richest person in the world. Aside from business, Ellison is a cup-winning yacht sailor, and a licensed pilot who owns two fighter planes. He has vast real estate holdings, and owns 98% of Lanai, the sixth largest island in Hawaii. Most importantly, Ellison is a huge philanthropist. By 2004, it was estimated that he had donated over $150 million. Since then, he has donated many millions more, including $10 million to the IDF, whom he described as “some of the bravest people in the world”. Most recently, Ellison donated a whopping $200 million to create a new cancer research centre at the University of Southern California. He has pledged to give as much as 95% of his wealth. Interestingly, he has also spent hundreds of millions on anti-aging research, saying that “death makes me very angry”.

Words of the Week

To become old is a grave sin.
– Rabbi Nachman of Breslov

Jew of the Week: George Weidenfeld

The Lord Weidenfeld, Baron of Chelsea

George Weidenfeld (Credit: Getty Images)

Arthur George Weidenfeld (1919-2016) was born in Vienna. When Germany annexed Austria in 1938, Weidenfeld fled to London with the help of a Christian family. He started working for the BBC, and several years later became a political commentator and writer. In 1948, he co-founded a publishing company with Nigel Nicolson. Their most famous publication was Nabokov’s Lolita. By 1985, their company was large enough to acquire the American publisher Grove Press. In turn, they were bought out in 1991 by Orion Publishing. Weidenfeld continued to write throughout the years, in both English and German (all in all, he knew 7 languages). Meanwhile, he played a key role in both the Jewish community and in the world of philanthropy at large. Wishing to repay his debt to the Christian family that helped him escape the Nazis, Weidenfeld started a campaign to rescue 20,000 Christians victimized by the Syrian Civil War. The first flight of 150 Christian refugees landed in Poland last summer through the Weidenfeld Safe Havens Fund, which also provided them with over a year’s worth of financial support. On the side, Weidenfeld served as a political adviser to many leaders, including former British prime minister Tony Blair, and was a frequent guest of Pope John Paul II. Back in 1949, he was Chief of Cabinet for Israel’s first president, Chaim Weizmann. In Israel, he chaired both Ben Gurion University and the Weizmann Institute. Weidenfeld was knighted in 1969, and later made Baron Weidenfeld of Chelsea, earning a seat on the House of Lords, where he often participated in debate. Sadly, Weidenfeld passed away last week, and was laid to rest in Jerusalem.

Words of the Week

Trials are medicines which our gracious and wise Physician gives because we need them; and the proportions, the frequency, and weight of them, to what the case requires. Let us trust His skill and thank Him for the prescription.
– Isaac Newton

Jew of the Week: Irene Rosenfeld

Irene Rosenfeld

Irene Blecker Rosenfeld (b. 1953) was born in New York to a Jewish family of Romanian and German descent. She studied psychology at Cornell, then earned a Master’s in business, followed by a Ph.D. in marketing. Soon after, she got a job with an ad agency in New York, then worked in consumer research for General Foods, the company famous for its cereals, Jell-O, and Maxwell House coffee (and now owned by Altria Group Inc., formerly known as Philip Morris). In 2004, Rosenfeld was elected CEO of Frito-Lay, the company that makes Cheetos, Doritos, Tostitos, Lay’s, and Ruffles. During her successful tenure, she shifted the focus of the company towards healthier ingredients and products. Two years later, she moved on to become CEO of Kraft Foods (also owned by Altria). After overseeing a great deal of growth within Kraft, including the acquisition of Cadbury, the largest confectioner in the UK, Rosenfeld engineered the company’s split into two new corporations. She remained as chairwoman and CEO of the snacks division, now known as Mondelez International. This new multi-billion dollar company employs over 100,000 people globally, and makes popular foods like Oreos, Chips Ahoy!, Peek Freans, Toblerone, Halls, Ritz, and both Trident and Dentyne gums. Not surprisingly, Rosenfeld has been ranked by Forbes among the world’s most powerful women on multiple occasions. She currently lives in a Chicago suburb, where she is a central member of the local Reform synagogue. Rosenfeld is a noted philanthropist, too, known for discretely donating large sums of money to hospitals, schools, and other institutions. She is also an avid basketball player, tennis player, and rollerblader.

Today is the 3rd Day of Sukkot. Chag Sameach!

Words of the Week

Just as it is incumbent upon every Jew to put on tefillin every day, so is there an unequivocal duty which rests upon every individual, from the greatest scholar to the most simple of folk, to set aside a half-hour each day in which to think about the education of his children.
– Rabbi Sholom DovBer Schneersohn, the 5th Lubavitcher Rebbe