Samuel Rothberg: Difference between revisions
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| name = Samuel Rothberg |
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| image = Samuel Rothberg.jpg |
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| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1910}} |
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| birth_place = [[Bila Tserkva|Belaya Tserkov]], [[Ukraine]] |
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| death_date = {{Death date and age|2007|08|14|1910}} |
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| known_for = Philanthropy |
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Samuel Rothberg (1910-2007) was an American business leader and an influential philanthropist in the United States and Israel. Due to the leadership roles he held in major Jewish organizations, he was actively involved in the [[American Jews|American Jewish community]]’s relationship with Israel. |
Samuel Rothberg (1910-2007) was an American business leader and an influential philanthropist in the United States and Israel. Due to the leadership roles he held in major Jewish organizations, he was actively involved in the [[American Jews|American Jewish community]]’s relationship with Israel. |
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Revision as of 12:22, 8 April 2021
Samuel Rothberg | |
|---|---|
| File:Samuel Rothberg.jpg | |
| Born | 1910 (age 113–114) |
| Died | August 14, 2007 (aged 96–97) |
| Known for | Philanthropy |
Samuel Rothberg (1910-2007) was an American business leader and an influential philanthropist in the United States and Israel. Due to the leadership roles he held in major Jewish organizations, he was actively involved in the American Jewish community’s relationship with Israel.
Biography
Samuel Rothberg was born in Belaya Tserkov in the Ukraine in 1910 to Bertha and Morris Rothberg.[1] Together with his parents, he immigrated to the United States in 1912 and settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science in 1931 with degrees in bacteriology and microbiology.[2] Subsequently, he worked at the American Commercial Alcohol Corporation doing research in fermentation and soon moved into senior management positions. He then moved to Peoria, Illinois and became the director of both the American Distilling Co. and the Parvin Dormeyer Co.
Rothberg married Jean Culver in 1941, and had four children: Heidi, Kathy, Michael, and Patrick.
He retired from business in 1975 and became more active in philanthropic endeavors, particularly in the Jewish communal world. [3][4]
Samuel was awarded honorary doctoral degrees from Bradley University, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Brandeis University and the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion.[5]
Rothberg passed away at the age of 97 on July 6, 2007 in Peoria, Illinois.
Communal Leadership and Philanthropy
Rothberg was an influential philanthropist, community leader, and supporter of Israel. His activism was inspired by the events of the Holocaust. In a speech at Hebrew University, he said: “Ever since 1943, when we first learned of the mass killing of Jews by Hitler’s Nazis, I have been deeply concerned with all aspects of the future of the Jewish people. This has been the driving force in my activities on behalf of the Jewish people and the State of Israel.”[6]
He traveled to Europe in 1947 and visited children orphaned during the Holocaust. “I just could not stop the tears,” he recounted in a later interview. “I decided then and there, I was going to do everything that I could to see that this never happens to my children.” Rothberg continued to support Jewish education initiatives in the United States and Israel, and supported the development of the State of Israel.[7]
Rothberg was actively involved in developing Israel’s economy and contributed to the expansion of Israel’s higher education. He was one of the founders of the Israel Bonds, an investment-based concept of mobilizing funds for Israel’s development and sold billions of bonds.[8] He worked together closely with Israeli dignitaries David Ben-Gurion, Levi Eshkol, Golda Meir, Eliezer Kaplan, Pinchas Sapir and Teddy Kollek, on projects as varied as the National Water Carrier and the Jerusalem Economic Conference.[9]
Rothberg also contributed significantly to The Hebrew University of Jerusalem financially and in leadership. From 1968 to 1981, he served as Chairman of the International Board of Governors of the university. During this time, he helped return the university to its original location on Mount Scopus and helped establish new academic units. His major project, The Harry S. Truman Center for the Advancement of Peace, was one of the first buildings erected on Mount Scopus in Jerusalem following the Six-Day War of 1967. [10] Organizers chose Truman for the building name because Israeli leaders wanted to honor him for recognizing the new state of Israel only minutes after it declared independence in 1948.[11]
Rothberg established The Hubert H. Humphrey Center for Cancer Research and Experimental Medicine. He also served as president of the American Friends of the Hebrew University. Referring to Sam, Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, noted: “I can think of few people in the United States who have individually contributed so much – both in resources and dogged day-to-day effort.”[6][5][7][9][12]
Together Hebrew University President Avraham Harman, Rothberg was instrumental in establishing the Hebrew University’s School for Overseas Students in 1971, which expanded the One Year Program that Rothberg started in 1955. In 1998, the Rothberg School inaugurated its own building, which was named the The Rothberg International School. The school offers undergraduate and graduate courses to students from all over the world.
In his later years, Rothberg developed glaucoma. His personal suffering with this medical issue led him to endow The Sam Rothberg Glaucoma Service and Research Center at the Goldschleger Eye Institute of the Sheba Medical Center in Israel. The center is a referral service dedicated to the care and treatment of adults and children with glaucoma and treats approximately 8,000 patients annually.[13]
In addition to his support of Israel-based initiatives, Rothberg was also an influential supporter of U.S. causes. He was one of the founding donors of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., served on Bradley University's Board of Trustees from 1972 to 1983, and served as president of his synagogue, Agudas Achim.[5]
Upon hearing of Rothberg's death Israel's then-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert informed the members of the Knesset of his death at its weekly session on July 8, 2007. He conveyed his condolences to the Rothberg family on behalf of the government and people of Israel.[14] Rothberg was eulogized in the Jerusalem Post by Avraham Avi-hai, who wrote "Sam Rothberg was a giant of a man, whose life formed a lasting chapter in Israel's history...from Samuel the Prophet until Samuel Rothberg, there was none like Samuel.”[9]
References
- ^ Cohn, Robert (August 14, 2007). "Rothberg, 96, led Israel Bonds". St. Louis Jewish Light. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Parker, Molly (July 10, 2007). "Samuel Rothberg, noted philanthropist, dead at 96". Journal Star. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Samuel Rothberg. https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/rothberg-samuel, Retrieved 15 June 2020; Samuel Rothberg Obituary in the Peoria JournalStar, 6 July 2007, https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/pjstar/obituary.aspx?n=samuel-rothberg&pid=90474718, Retrieved 15 June 2020; Concise Dictionary of American Jewish Biography, p. 539, http://media.americanjewisharchives.org/docs/concise/r.pdf, Retrieved 15 June 2020; Communication with Heidi Rothberg, July 7, 2020.
- ^ Parker, Molly (July 10, 2007). "Samuel Rothberg, noted philanthropist, dead at 96". Journal Star. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c Samuel Rothberg. Obituary in the Peoria JournalStar, 6 July 2007. https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/pjstar/obituary.aspx?n=samuel-rothberg&pid=90474718, Retrieved 15 June 2020.
- ^ a b Sam Rothberg: A Tribute on the Website of the Rothberg International School. https://overseas.huji.ac.il/, Retrieved 15 June 2020.
- ^ a b Christine Smith, “‘Sam of Peoria’ left mark on world.” Obituary in the Peoria JournalStar,16 July 2007, https://cambridge.wickedlocal.com/x1758493796, Retrieved 15 June 2020.
- ^ Cohn, Robert (August 14, 2007). "Rothberg, 96, led Israel Bonds". St. Louis Jewish Light. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c Avraham Avi-hai, “Appreciation: Remembering Sam Rothberg,” Jerusalem Post, 11 July 2007, https://www.jpost.com/opinion/op-ed-contributors/appreciation-remembering-sam-rothberg. Retrieved 15.6.2020.
- ^ Parker, Molly (July 10, 2007). "Samuel Rothberg, noted philanthropist, dead at 96". Journal Star. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Parker, Molly (July 10, 2007). "Samuel Rothberg, noted philanthropist, dead at 96". Peoria Journal Star.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Rothberg, Sam. Obituary in the New York Times, 10 July 2007,https://archive.nytimes.com/query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage-9F00E7DE123AF933A25754C0A9619C8B63.html, Retrieved 15 June 2020.
- ^ "The Sam Rothberg Glaucoma". Sheba. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Cabinet Communique 08 July 2007". Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. July 8, 2007. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
External links
Website of the Rothberg International School: https://overseas.huji.ac.il/
Sam Rothberg (1910 - 2007) - In Tribute, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, The Center for Multimedia Assisted Instruction, 2010: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WL2DgNmXz4A