Hermann Merkin (born 1907 in

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, died March 9, 1999, in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

) was a German-born American businessman and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

Biography

Merkin's father, Leib Merkin was a successful furrier in native

. In the 1930s Merkin's family fled

to escape

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

persecution and came to New York City in 1940. Soon after coming to the United States, Merkin joined the Army as an intelligence and counterintelligence officer. After the war, he purchased a seat on the

New York Stock Exchange The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District, Manhattan, Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is the List of stock exchanges, largest stock excha ...

, and founded Merkin & Company, an investment firm. He met and married Ursula Breuer in 1950 in

and had six children (three sons and three daughters); at the time of his death, he had 20 grandchildren. He lived in

Charity work

Merkin was a founder of the Fifth Avenue Synagogue on the

Upper East Side The Upper East Side, sometimes abbreviated UES, is a neighborhood in the boroughs of New York City, borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded approximately by 96th Street (Manhattan), 96th Street to the north, the East River to the e ...

near

Central Park Central Park is an urban park between the Upper West Side and Upper East Side neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City, and the first landscaped park in the United States. It is the List of parks in New York City, sixth-largest park in the ...

, together with his father, Leib Merkin and Henry Hirsh. He and his wife Ulla, sponsored the well-known Merkin Concert Hall in

and also gave generously to Mount Sinai Hospital,

Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a Private university, private Modern Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City.

- sponsoring a chair in memory of his father Leib Merkin and a

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...

in memory of his late

father-in-law A parent-in-law is a person who has a legal affinity (law), affinity with another by being the parent of the other's spouse. Many cultures and legal systems impose duties and responsibilities on persons connected by this relationship. A person i ...

, Isaac Breuer. The school (IBC) or Isaac Breuer College of Hebraic Studies is an undergraduate program at

Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a Private university, private Modern Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City.

, where he served on the board of trustees for over three decades, even holding the position of chairman for a short time. He also gave generously to and many other

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

charities; the Merkins were particularly interested in furthering Jewish education through philanthropic gifts.

Death

Merkin died at age 91, in

, of

congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF typically pr ...

. He is the father of noted businessman and

Bernie Madoff Bernard Lawrence Madoff ( ; April 29, 1938April 14, 2021) was an American financial criminal and financier who was the admitted mastermind of the largest known Ponzi scheme in history, worth an estimated $65 billion. He was at one time ...

associate J. Ezra Merkin, and of writer and critic Daphne Merkin.

External links

Isaac Breuer College of Hebraic Studies (IBC)Yeshiva University

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Merkin, Hermann 1907 births 1999 deaths American financiers American Orthodox Jews Philanthropists from New York (state) Businesspeople from New York City Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United States Businesspeople from Leipzig 20th-century American philanthropists Merkin family