Joseph Gutnick
Encyclopedia
Joseph Isaac Gutnick is an Australia
n businessman and mining industry entrepreneur. He is also an ordained rabbi
and is well known for his philanthropy
in the Jewish world.
Gutnick was, after almost having been ruined by the 1987 stock market crash
, advised by Rabbi
Menachem Schneerson to go back to the Australian desert and search for "gold and diamonds". He was responsible for overseeing the discovery of the Plutonic gold deposit
, as well as the discovery, development and operation of the Bronzewing and Jundee
gold mines in Australia. Gutnick also was a director of the World Gold Council and was awarded the prestigious Diggers award at the 1997 Diggers and Dealers Industry Awards.
In 1991, his company, Great Central Mines
, paid A$115 million to prospector Mark Creasy for the Bronzewing gold deposit
.
2000 Gutnick files writs in court against long time Levi Mochkin stockbroker
In 1999, Gutnick along with partner Robert Champion de Crespigny
was found to have illegally structured a takeover of Great Central Mining. Gutnick was ordered to return $28.5 million to investors. On 5 April 2000, Joseph Gutnick, Robert Champion de Crespigny and Ian Gould resigned as directors of Great Central Mining.
, New York and ran a religious girls' seminary in Melbourne. His brother, Mordechai Gutnick
, is a prominent Orthodox Jewish rabbi in Australia.
Gutnick is an Orthodox Jew
and a member of the Chabad-Lubavitch
Hasidic
movement. According to Gutnick, in 1988, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson
told him exactly where to mine for gold in Western Australia.
He was close with Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
. In the 1990s, Gutnick spent millions of dollars campaigning for Benjamin Netanyahu
and against the Labor Party in Israel's elections.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n businessman and mining industry entrepreneur. He is also an ordained rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
and is well known for his philanthropy
Philanthropy
Philanthropy etymologically means "the love of humanity"—love in the sense of caring for, nourishing, developing, or enhancing; humanity in the sense of "what it is to be human," or "human potential." In modern practical terms, it is "private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of...
in the Jewish world.
Business holdings
Among Gutnick's business holdings:- Legend International Holdings. A mining company focused on phosphate exploration in Queensland, Australia. Gutnick is the President and CEO.
- Centaur mining went in receivership 2000 Gutnick is the President and CEO.
Gutnick was, after almost having been ruined by the 1987 stock market crash
Black Monday (1987)
In finance, Black Monday refers to Monday October 19, 1987, when stock markets around the world crashed, shedding a huge value in a very short time. The crash began in Hong Kong and spread west to Europe, hitting the United States after other markets had already declined by a significant margin...
, advised by Rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
Menachem Schneerson to go back to the Australian desert and search for "gold and diamonds". He was responsible for overseeing the discovery of the Plutonic gold deposit
Plutonic Gold Mine
The Plutonic Gold Mine is a gold mine located 82 km east north east of Peak Hill, Western Australia.It is operated by Barrick Gold and located at the Plutonic Well Greenstone Belt.-History:...
, as well as the discovery, development and operation of the Bronzewing and Jundee
Jundee Gold Mine
The Jundee Gold Mine is an active gold mine in Western Australia, approximately 55 km north east of the town of Wiluna, owned by Newmont Mining.-History:...
gold mines in Australia. Gutnick also was a director of the World Gold Council and was awarded the prestigious Diggers award at the 1997 Diggers and Dealers Industry Awards.
In 1991, his company, Great Central Mines
Great Central Mines
Great Central Mines was an Australian gold mining company.The company lost its independence in 1999, when it was taken over by Normandy Mining, and was renamed Normandy Yandal Operations Limited in 2000. The company's takeover however led to lengthy court proceedings, initiated by the Australian...
, paid A$115 million to prospector Mark Creasy for the Bronzewing gold deposit
Bronzewing Gold Mine
The Bronzewing Gold Mine is a gold mine located approximately 83 km north-east of Leinster, Western Australia. The mine, owned by Navigator Resources Limited, was, until early 2010, in care and maintenance after its previous owner, View Resources Limited went into administration.The mine is...
.
2000 Gutnick files writs in court against long time Levi Mochkin stockbroker
In 1999, Gutnick along with partner Robert Champion de Crespigny
Robert Champion de Crespigny
Robert James Champion de Crespigny, AC is an Australian businessman.-Early life and education:Champion de Crespigny was educated at Melbourne Grammar School and the University of Melbourne, from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree.-Accounting:Upon completing his studies, he...
was found to have illegally structured a takeover of Great Central Mining. Gutnick was ordered to return $28.5 million to investors. On 5 April 2000, Joseph Gutnick, Robert Champion de Crespigny and Ian Gould resigned as directors of Great Central Mining.
Personal life
Gutnick lives in Melbourne, Australia with his wife, a daughter of textile maker Max New, whom he married in 1974; they have 11 children. He studied for rabbinic ordination in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York and ran a religious girls' seminary in Melbourne. His brother, Mordechai Gutnick
Mordechai Gutnick
Rabbi Mordechai Gutnick is a prominent Orthodox Jewish rabbi in Australia. He is the eldest son of the late Rabbi Chaim Gutnick and brother of Australian mining magnate Joseph Gutnick....
, is a prominent Orthodox Jewish rabbi in Australia.
Gutnick is an Orthodox Jew
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
and a member of the Chabad-Lubavitch
Chabad-Lubavitch
Chabad-Lubavitch is a Chasidic movement in Orthodox Judaism. One of the world's larger and best-known Chasidic movements, its official headquarters is in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York...
Hasidic
Hasidic Judaism
Hasidic Judaism or Hasidism, from the Hebrew —Ḥasidut in Sephardi, Chasidus in Ashkenazi, meaning "piety" , is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that promotes spirituality and joy through the popularisation and internalisation of Jewish mysticism as the fundamental aspects of the Jewish faith...
movement. According to Gutnick, in 1988, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson
Menachem Mendel Schneerson
Menachem Mendel Schneerson , known as the Lubavitcher Rebbe or just the Rebbe among his followers, was a prominent Hasidic rabbi who was the seventh and last Rebbe of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. He was fifth in a direct paternal line to the third Chabad-Lubavitch Rebbe, Menachem Mendel...
told him exactly where to mine for gold in Western Australia.
He was close with Israeli
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel. He serves also as the Chairman of the Likud Party, as a Knesset member, as the Health Minister of Israel, as the Pensioner Affairs Minister of Israel and as the Economic Strategy Minister of Israel.Netanyahu is the first and, to...
. In the 1990s, Gutnick spent millions of dollars campaigning for Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel. He serves also as the Chairman of the Likud Party, as a Knesset member, as the Health Minister of Israel, as the Pensioner Affairs Minister of Israel and as the Economic Strategy Minister of Israel.Netanyahu is the first and, to...
and against the Labor Party in Israel's elections.