Shepard Broad
Encyclopedia
Shepard Broad was a Belarusian
-American
banker, lawyer
, and philanthropist
.
, Belarus
as Szmuel Bobrowice. He trained as a tailor
's apprentice, but Eastern Europe
offered little opportunity to a young Jewish boy. At the age of 14, he joined the mass migration to North America. Hoping to land in New York, he ended up in Quebec
. Canadian immigration authorities planned to send him back to Belarus, but his plight came to the attention of Adolph Stark, president of the Canadian-Jewish Immigration Society. Stark took him home.
Stark offered to adopt the boy, but Broad was determined to find an uncle in New York. Stark gave him a train ticket and Broad made it to New York in 1920. He knew no English at the time.
in 1927, and he was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1928. From 1928 through 1940, Mr. Broad practiced law in New York City
.
In August 1940, Mr. Broad was admitted to The Florida Bar
and opened a law office in Miami Beach, Florida
the next year. On January 1, 1946, he founded the law firm of Broad and Cassel
, which continues to this day with offices throughout Florida.
In 1946, Mr. Broad helped organize the Bank of Hollywood Hills and the North Shore Bank of Miami Beach. The following year, he helped establish the American Savings and Loan Association of Florida. He subsequently served as president of the Mercantile National Bank of Miami Beach. He assisted in founding the Bank of Miramar, Florida.
, who later became Israel's first prime minister. As World War II drew to an end, Broad, Ben-Gurion and their colleagues met in New York City and created an underground infrastructure to raise funds for Israel, provide weapons for its eventual Israel War of Independence and help Holocaust survivors and others reach what was then called Palestine
.
. He envisioned apartment complexes, single family homes, golf courses and shops. The $600,000 asking price seemed out of reach, so Broad traded his interest, 2 floors, of the downtown Biscayne Building for the swamp. He sketched the plans for what he called Bay Harbor Islands, designing it in two pieces. One piece for single family and one for multiple family. His vision was realized and the result was single-family homes on the western island, condos and rental apartment on the eastern island.
The town was incorporated in 1947 and Broad was elected to 26 consecutive one-year terms as mayor. His pay: $1 a year.
When he finally relinquished the job, he reminisced about the first election, one that was uninhibited by complications like voters. Broad joked:
of Nova Southeastern University
, earning honorary degrees from Nova University and Barry University
, participating in the leadership of several hospitals, and endowing the Shepard and Ruth Broad Center for the Performing Arts of Barry University.
Shepard Broad and his wife Ruth, through the legacy of The Shepard Broad Foundation,
Inc., have given generous support to major universities and hospitals throughout the world including: Florida International University
,
Barry University
, University of Florida
,
Florida State University
and the Shepard Broad Law Center
at Nova Southeastern University
.
In 1995, he donated $174,350 for computer equipment at the new Ruth K. Broad Bay Harbor Elementary which was named for his late wife.
.
Belarusians
Belarusians ; are an East Slavic ethnic group who populate the majority of the Republic of Belarus. Introduced to the world as a new state in the early 1990s, the Republic of Belarus brought with it the notion of a re-emerging Belarusian ethnicity, drawn upon the lines of the Old Belarusian...
-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
banker, lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, 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...
.
Early life and immigration to America
Shepard Broad was born in PinskPinsk
Pinsk , a town in Belarus, in the Polesia region, traversed by the river Pripyat, at the confluence of the Strumen and Pina rivers. The region was known as the Marsh of Pinsk. It is a fertile agricultural center. It lies south-west of Minsk. The population is about 130,000...
, Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
as Szmuel Bobrowice. He trained as a tailor
Tailor
A tailor is a person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing professionally, especially suits and men's clothing.Although the term dates to the thirteenth century, tailor took on its modern sense in the late eighteenth century, and now refers to makers of men's and women's suits, coats, trousers,...
's apprentice, but 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"...
offered little opportunity to a young Jewish boy. At the age of 14, he joined the mass migration to North America. Hoping to land in New York, he ended up in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. Canadian immigration authorities planned to send him back to Belarus, but his plight came to the attention of Adolph Stark, president of the Canadian-Jewish Immigration Society. Stark took him home.
Stark offered to adopt the boy, but Broad was determined to find an uncle in New York. Stark gave him a train ticket and Broad made it to New York in 1920. He knew no English at the time.
Education and professional career
Shepard Broad received his law degree from New York Law SchoolNew York Law School
New York Law School is a private law school in the TriBeCa neighborhood of Lower Manhattan in New York City. New York Law School is one of the oldest independent law schools in the United States. The school is located within four blocks of all major courts in Manhattan. In 2011, New York Law School...
in 1927, and he was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1928. From 1928 through 1940, Mr. Broad practiced law in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
In August 1940, Mr. Broad was admitted to The Florida Bar
The Florida Bar
The Florida Bar is the integrated bar association for the state of Florida. It is the third largest such bar association in the United States. Its duties include the regulation and discipline of attorneys....
and opened a law office in Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...
the next year. On January 1, 1946, he founded the law firm of Broad and Cassel
Broad and Cassel
Broad and Cassel is an international law firm headquartered in Orlando, Florida. It was founded by Shepard Broad and Alvin Cassel and is currently the 250th largest law firm in the country. The firm is well known for its trial, appellate, and health law work, and its pro bono commitments and...
, which continues to this day with offices throughout Florida.
In 1946, Mr. Broad helped organize the Bank of Hollywood Hills and the North Shore Bank of Miami Beach. The following year, he helped establish the American Savings and Loan Association of Florida. He subsequently served as president of the Mercantile National Bank of Miami Beach. He assisted in founding the Bank of Miramar, Florida.
Involvement with Israel
He and 21 other Jewish men met in a New York City apartment in 1945 and agreed on an audacious plan to help create a homeland for the world's Jewish people. Among his colleagues: David Ben-GurionDavid Ben-Gurion
' was the first Prime Minister of Israel.Ben-Gurion's passion for Zionism, which began early in life, led him to become a major Zionist leader and Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization in 1946...
, who later became Israel's first prime minister. As World War II drew to an end, Broad, Ben-Gurion and their colleagues met in New York City and created an underground infrastructure to raise funds for Israel, provide weapons for its eventual Israel War of Independence and help Holocaust survivors and others reach what was then called Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
.
Bay Harbor Islands, Florida
Broad became intrigued by 253 acres (1 km²) of mud and mangroves that rose out of Biscayne BayBiscayne Bay
Biscayne Bay is a lagoon that is approximately 35 miles long and up to 8 miles wide located on the Atlantic coast of South Florida, United States. It is usually divided for purposes of discussion and analysis into three parts: North Bay, Central Bay, and South Bay. Its area is...
. He envisioned apartment complexes, single family homes, golf courses and shops. The $600,000 asking price seemed out of reach, so Broad traded his interest, 2 floors, of the downtown Biscayne Building for the swamp. He sketched the plans for what he called Bay Harbor Islands, designing it in two pieces. One piece for single family and one for multiple family. His vision was realized and the result was single-family homes on the western island, condos and rental apartment on the eastern island.
The town was incorporated in 1947 and Broad was elected to 26 consecutive one-year terms as mayor. His pay: $1 a year.
When he finally relinquished the job, he reminisced about the first election, one that was uninhibited by complications like voters. Broad joked:
"Shepard's Folly"
Also in 1947, the Legislature authorized him to build a causeway at 125th Street and Biscayne Boulevard. The $2.5 million road was to be financed by self-liquidating bonds without expense to taxpayers. His detractors dubbed the causeway "Shepard's Folly," but he persevered and it was completed in 1951. The bridge now carries the name of the Broad Causeway.Educational institutions
Shepard Broad's other community activities include serving as a member of the Board of Governors at the Shepard Broad Law CenterShepard Broad Law Center
Shepard Broad Law Center, founded in 1974, is the law school of Nova Southeastern University. It is also commonly referred to as Nova Southeastern Law School. The Law Center is housed in Leo Goodwin Sr...
of Nova Southeastern University
Nova Southeastern University
Nova Southeastern University, commonly referred to as NSU or Nova, is a private, coeducational, nonsectarian, research university located in Broward County, Florida, with its main campus in the town of Davie...
, earning honorary degrees from Nova University and Barry University
Barry University
Barry University is a private, Catholic university, which was founded in 1940 in Miami Shores, Florida, a suburb north of Downtown Miami. It is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami....
, participating in the leadership of several hospitals, and endowing the Shepard and Ruth Broad Center for the Performing Arts of Barry University.
Shepard Broad and his wife Ruth, through the legacy of The Shepard Broad Foundation,
Inc., have given generous support to major universities and hospitals throughout the world including: Florida International University
Florida International University
Florida International University is an American public research university in metropolitan Miami, Florida, in the United States, with its main campus in University Park...
,
Barry University
Barry University
Barry University is a private, Catholic university, which was founded in 1940 in Miami Shores, Florida, a suburb north of Downtown Miami. It is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami....
, University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
,
Florida State University
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
and the Shepard Broad Law Center
Shepard Broad Law Center
Shepard Broad Law Center, founded in 1974, is the law school of Nova Southeastern University. It is also commonly referred to as Nova Southeastern Law School. The Law Center is housed in Leo Goodwin Sr...
at Nova Southeastern University
Nova Southeastern University
Nova Southeastern University, commonly referred to as NSU or Nova, is a private, coeducational, nonsectarian, research university located in Broward County, Florida, with its main campus in the town of Davie...
.
In 1995, he donated $174,350 for computer equipment at the new Ruth K. Broad Bay Harbor Elementary which was named for his late wife.
Health care
He was also a benefactor to Mount Sinai Medical Center & Miami Heart InstituteMount Sinai Medical Center & Miami Heart Institute
Mount Sinai Medical Center & Miami Heart Institute is a hospital located at 4300 Alton Road in Miami Beach, Florida, and is the largest independent non-profit teaching hospital in the state. The institution was incorporated on March 11, 1946, and opened on its current location on Sunday, December...
.