Maurice Wohl
Encyclopedia
Maurice Moshe Wohl CBE
(1923 - 1 July 2007) was a British
businessman and philanthropist
.
to Eastern Europe
an parents. At a young age, Wohl became a property developer creating 'United Real Property Trust'. He rose to success by innovation in raising modern office buildings in the damaged post-World War II
London
and his business also later spread to Australia
. By the mid-1970s, he had retired to Switzerland
. Wohl was made Commander of Order of the British Empire
(CBE) in 1992.
Wohl died on the morning of Sunday 1 July 2007 (16th of Tammuz, 5767). He was buried in the Sanhedria Cemetery
in Jerusalem the next day, eulogized by former Chief Rabbi
of Israel, Yisrael Meir Lau
. Vivienne, his wife who had also been very active and highly regarded, died in April 2005 (15th of Nisan
, 5765). The couple had been childless
.
in Israel
. In honour of his many contributions in Jerusalem, Wohl was given the title "Trustee of Jerusalem" (Ne-eman Yerushalayim) by Ehud Olmert
when he was mayor of the city. Wohl also received an honorary doctorate
from Bar-Ilan University
in 2001.
Wohl contributed tens of millions of dollars to the construction of public structures and support of various foundations some of which include:
While many establishments carried the Wohl name, Maurice Wohl was also known for donating to many organizations and charities without that same publicity.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(1923 - 1 July 2007) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
businessman and philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
.
Biography
Maurice Wohl was born in the East End of LondonEast End of London
The East End of London, also known simply as the East End, is the area of London, England, United Kingdom, east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames. Although not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries, the River Lea can be considered another boundary...
to Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
an parents. At a young age, Wohl became a property developer creating 'United Real Property Trust'. He rose to success by innovation in raising modern office buildings in the damaged post-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and his business also later spread to Australia
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...
. By the mid-1970s, he had retired to Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. Wohl was made Commander of Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(CBE) in 1992.
Wohl died on the morning of Sunday 1 July 2007 (16th of Tammuz, 5767). He was buried in the Sanhedria Cemetery
Sanhedria
Sanhedria is a Haredi neighborhood in northern Jerusalem, Israel. It lies east of Golda Meir Street and adjacent to Ramat Eshkol, Shmuel HaNavi, Maalot Dafna and the Sanhedria cemetery....
in Jerusalem the next day, eulogized by former Chief Rabbi
Chief Rabbi
Chief Rabbi is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities...
of Israel, Yisrael Meir Lau
Yisrael Meir Lau
Yisrael Meir Lau is the Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv, Israel, and Chairman of Yad Vashem. He previously served as the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1993 to 2003.-Biography:...
. Vivienne, his wife who had also been very active and highly regarded, died in April 2005 (15th of Nisan
Nisan
Nisan is the first month of the ecclesiastical year and the seventh month of the civil year, on the Hebrew calendar. The name of the month is Babylonian; in the Torah it is called the month of the Aviv, referring to the month in which barley was ripe. It is a spring month of 30 days...
, 5765). The couple had been childless
Childless
Childlessness describes a person who does not have any children. The causes of childlessness are many and it has great personal, social and political significance...
.
Civic and philanthropic activities
Wohl was president of the Jerusalem Great SynagogueGreat Synagogue (Jerusalem)
The Great Synagogue of Jerusalem, , is located at 58 King George Street, Jerusalem, Israel. Rabbi Zalman Druck was the spiritual leader from the synagogue's establishment until he died on 11 December 2009. The president of the synagogue is Rabbi Dr. David M...
in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. In honour of his many contributions in Jerusalem, Wohl was given the title "Trustee of Jerusalem" (Ne-eman Yerushalayim) by Ehud Olmert
Ehud Olmert
Ehud Olmert is an Israeli politician and lawyer. He served as Prime Minister of Israel from 2006 to 2009, as a Cabinet Minister from 1988 to 1992 and from 2003 to 2006, and as Mayor of Jerusalem from 1993 to 2003....
when he was mayor of the city. Wohl also received an honorary doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
from Bar-Ilan University
Bar-Ilan University
Bar-Ilan University is a university in Ramat Gan of the Tel Aviv District, Israel.Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is now Israel's second-largest academic institution. It has nearly 26,800 students and 1,350 faculty members...
in 2001.
Wohl contributed tens of millions of dollars to the construction of public structures and support of various foundations some of which include:
In Israel
- Wohl Amphitheatre in The Yarkon Park, Tel AvivTel AvivTel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
- Wohl Rose Park opposite the KnessetKnessetThe Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.-Role in Israeli Government :The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister , approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government...
, Jerusalem - Wohl Archaeological Museum in Old City of Jerusalem
- Wohl CentreWohl CentreThe Wohl Centre serves as a convention center for Bar-Ilan University in Ramat-Gan, Israel. It was built between 2001 and 2005 and covers about 42,000 square feet . The building, designed by the internationally-renowned Daniel Libeskind and a local architecture firm, the Heder Partnership, has been...
(convention/cultural centre), 'The Book and the Wall', designed by architect Daniel LibeskindDaniel LibeskindDaniel Libeskind, is an American architect, artist, and set designer of Polish-Jewish descent. Libeskind founded Studio Daniel Libeskind in 1989 with his wife, Nina, and is its principal design architect...
at Bar-Ilan UniversityBar-Ilan UniversityBar-Ilan University is a university in Ramat Gan of the Tel Aviv District, Israel.Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is now Israel's second-largest academic institution. It has nearly 26,800 students and 1,350 faculty members... - benefactor of thousands of scholarships to students in Bar Ilan University
- an operating room complex at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem
- Wohl Institute for Advanced Imaging, Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv
- Wohl Synagogue in 'Lamed' neighbourhood, Tel Aviv
- Mercaz haRavMercaz haRavMercaz HaRav , more properly, Mercaz HaRav Kook ), is a national-religious yeshiva in Jerusalem, Israel, founded in 1924 by Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook. It has become synonymous with his teachings....
- The SlonimSlonim (Hasidic dynasty)Slonim is a Hasidic dynasty originating in the town of Slonim, which is now in Belarus.Today, there are two Slonimer Rebbes, both in Israel: one resides in Jerusalem and the other in Bnei Brak...
Yeshiva - Yeshivat HaKotelYeshivat HakotelYeshivat Hakotel is a modern-Orthodox religious Zionist hesder yeshiva situated in the Old City of Jerusalem. It was built in 1857. The yeshiva overlooks the Kotel ; hence its name. The Yeshiva is famous among tourists and tour guides for its entrance to the prayer plaza at the Kotel on Sabbath...
- Jerusalem College of TechnologyJerusalem College of TechnologyThe Jerusalem College of Technology , , is an Orthodox Jewish college. JCT's main campus are situated in the Givat Mordechai neighbourhood of Jerusalem. Other branches are located in the Givat Shaul neighbourhood of Jerusalem and Ramat Gan...
- ShalvaShalvaShalva is a moshav shitufi in southern Israel. Located in the southern Shephelah near Kiryat Gat, it falls under the jurisdiction of Shafir Regional Council. In 2006, it had a population of 436....
association of mentally and physically challenged children http://www.shalva.org/frame.htm - dedicated the first volume of the EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
edition of TalmudTalmudThe Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
Tractate Bava MetziaBava MetziaBava Metzia is the second of the first three Talmudic tractates in the order of Nezikin , the other two being Bava Kamma and Bava Batra. Originally all three formed a single tractate called Nezikin , each Bava being a Part or subdivision...
by Rabbi Adin SteinsaltzAdin SteinsaltzRabbi Adin Steinsaltz or Adin Even Yisrael is a teacher, philosopher, social critic, and spiritual mentor, who has been hailed by Time magazine as a "once-in-a-millennium scholar". He has devoted his life to making the Talmud accessible to all Jews...
In the United Kingdom
- Wohl Virion Centre (Wohl Virus Research Centre) at University College LondonUniversity College LondonUniversity College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
- Maurice Wohl General Dental Practice Centre at King's College LondonKing's College LondonKing's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
, GKT Dental Institute London - Maurice Wohl Laboratory, Institute of Liver Studies, King's College School of Medicine and Dentistry
- Maurice Wohl Research Fellowship in Surgery/Dental Surgery Details http://www.rdfunding.org.uk/Queries/ListGrantDetails.asp?GrantID=4824 at Royal College of Surgeons of EdinburghRoyal College of Surgeons of EdinburghThe Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh is an organisation dedicated to the pursuit of excellence and advancement in surgical practice, through its interest in education, training and examinations, its liaison with external medical bodies and representation of the modern surgical workforce...
- Maurice Wohl Charitable Foundation
- Maurice Wohl Charitable Trust
While many establishments carried the Wohl name, Maurice Wohl was also known for donating to many organizations and charities without that same publicity.