Avraam Isakovich Zak (1829–1893; last name also spelled Sack) was a Russian-Jewish

banker A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Becaus ...

, philanthropist, and public figure.

Early life

Zak was born to a well-established family in

Bobruisk Babruysk, Babrujsk or Bobruisk ( be, Бабруйск , Łacinka: , rus, Бобруйск, Bobrujsk, bɐˈbruɪ̯s̪k, yi, באָברויסק ) is a city in the Mogilev Region of eastern Belarus on the Berezina River. , its population was 209 ...

(now in

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...

) in 1829. Zak was self-taught in mathematics and later in economics, and exhibited an interest in both Hebrew literature and music. In addition, during his childhood, Zak might have been influenced by the local

maskil The ''Haskalah'', often termed Jewish Enlightenment ( he, השכלה; literally, "wisdom", "erudition" or "education"), was an intellectual movement among the Jews of Central and Eastern Europe, with a certain influence on those in Western Eur ...

im, or supporters of the

Haskalah The ''Haskalah'', often termed Jewish Enlightenment ( he, השכלה; literally, "wisdom", "erudition" or "education"), was an intellectual movement among the Jews of Central and Eastern Europe, with a certain influence on those in Western Euro ...

(European Jewish enlightenment).

Career

Zak began his career working for Baron Evzel Ginsburg, first working as a clerk in the liquor store business, working as Ginsburg's chief accountant, and then working for Baron Ginsburg's bank in Petrograd (St. Petersburg). In 1871, Zak became the director of the Petersburg Discount Lending Bank, owned by Leopold Kronenberg (who was also Jewish); this bank emerged became one of the largest banks in Russia under Zak's leadership. Also, Zak helped build one of Russia's first railroads and built the Libavo–Romni track line, thus allowing development to occur in northwestern Russia. Due to his deep knowledge of economics, the Russian government sometimes consulted with Zak on economic matters, such as how to prevent a severe financial crisis in the event of war (Zak suggested having the Russian treasury accumulate gold reserves). Zak was offered the position of Deputy Finance Minister of Russia on condition that he converted to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

, but he rejected this offer. Throughout his life, Zak supported various Jewish organizations in Petrograd (Saint Petersburg) as well as the city's Jewish orphanage and Jewish school. Also, Zak's home in Petrograd was a popular place for various critics and musicians such as

Anton Rubinstein Anton Grigoryevich Rubinstein ( rus, Антон Григорьевич Рубинштейн, r=Anton Grigor'evič Rubinštejn; ) was a Russian pianist, composer and conductor who became a pivotal figure in Russian culture when he founded the Sa ...

(who was born

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

). In addition, one of Zak's most notable acts was to pay the legal fees of

Georgian Jews Georgian Jews ( ka, ქართველი ებრაელები, tr) are a community of Jews who migrated to Georgia during the Babylonian captivity in the 6th century BCE.The Wellspring of Georgian Historiography: The Early Mediev ...

in Kutaisi who were accused of

blood libel Blood libel or ritual murder libel (also blood accusation) is an antisemitic canardTurvey, Brent E. ''Criminal Profiling: An Introduction to Behavioral Evidence Analysis'', Academic Press, 2008, p. 3. "Blood libel: An accusation of ritual mur ...

in 1878-1879.

Death

Avraam Zak died in

Hessen Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major historic cities are Darms ...

, Germany in 1893 while he was travelling abroad for medical treatment. He was either 63 or 64 years old at the time of his death.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zak, Avraam Russian Jews Russian bankers People from Babruysk Bankers from the Russian Empire Russian philanthropists Jewish philanthropists 1829 births 1893 deaths 19th-century philanthropists 19th-century businesspeople from the Russian Empire