Emanuel Maurice "Emil" Bachrach (4 July 1874 – 28 September 1937) was a Russian Jewish-born American entrepreneur and philanthropist in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

Career

Emil arrived in the United States from Russia at the age of 18. Soon after, in 1901, he moved to Manila with around 850 US dollars and started a successful furniture company.Article on Emil Bachrach from the Lou Gopal website
/ref> Later Emil secured a franchise from

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...

and started Bachrach Motors Inc, and later still, the Philippine Air Taxi Co (PATCO) in 1930. PATCO was bought by

Andrés Soriano Andrés Soriano Sr. (February 8, 1898 – December 30, 1964) was a Spanish Filipino industrialist. Described by ''The New York Times'' in 1964 as "one of the most dominant business personalities in the western Pacific area," he was best known fo ...

in 1939 and two years later merged into

Philippine Airlines Philippine Airlines (PAL), a trade name of PAL Holdings, Inc. (Philippine Stock Exchange, PSEPAL (Philippine Air Lines until 1970), is the flag carrier airline of the Philippines. Headquartered at the Philippine National Bank, PNB Financial Cen ...

(PAL), which inherited its license to operate as an airliner. Emil Bachrach was a philanthropist, who supported both Jewish and Christian causes and accommodated Jews fleeing from

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

. He was a major contributor to the building of the Jewish Temple Emil Synagogue. Bachrach met Mary McDonald in 1916, who was another American expatriate who owned and managed landmark hotels in

Baguio Baguio ( , ), officially the City of Baguio ( ilo, Siudad ti Baguio; fil, Lungsod ng Baguio), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines. It is known as the "Summer Capital of the Philippines", ...

, such as the Nevada Hotel and Pines Hotel, as well as Delmonico Hotel in Manila. After a short courtship the two married, and Mary not only became a loving wife to Bachrach, but also became an invaluable business partner. Emil and Mary were close to her sister Annie's daughter, Minna Levine. Minna's father was Hyman M. Levine. would later marry another influential White Russian immigrant Bernard Gaberman. They had two children Mari Gaberman and Earl "Butch" Gaberman. Bachrach was also instrumental in the establishment of the Commonwealth's Bureau of Aeronautics which would be the precursor of the

Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP, ; fil, Pangasiwaan sa Abyasyong Sibil ng Pilipinas) is the civil aviation authority of the Philippines and is responsible for implementing policies on civil aviation to assure safe, econo ...

, as he was appointed by the Governor-General

Dwight F. Davis Dwight Filley Davis Sr. (July 5, 1879 – November 28, 1945) was an American tennis player and politician. He is best remembered as the founder of the Davis Cup international tennis competition. He was the Assistant Secretary of War from 1923 to ...

as a member of a committee which studied the potential for

civil aviation Civil aviation is one of two major categories of flying, representing all non-military and non-state aviation, both private and commercial. Most of the countries in the world are members of the International Civil Aviation Organization and work ...

around the archipelago. The committee recommended the creation of the Bureau under the

Department of Commerce and Industry Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

, the adaption of

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

air traffic regulations, and the establishment of airports and airfields around the country. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the widow of Bachrach, Mary McDonald, had to surrender their residence ''Casa Blanca'' or also known as the ''Bachrach Mansion'' along Manga Ave., cor Buenos Aires St., in Santa Mesa,

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

, as it was commandeered by Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita upon his assignment in the Philippines in October 1944. After the Battle of Manila Gen. Douglas MacArthur and his family took up residence in the said mansion. After the war, Mary Bachrach moved to the United States, and the mansion was acquired by

Club Filipino Club Filipino (pronounced ''klub'') was the first exclusive social club in the Philippines, founded on November 6, 1898 by Filipino high society, including Spanish ''mestizos'' and members of the native aristocracy. It is located between North Gr ...

and was inaugurated by President

Ramon Magsaysay Ramon del Fierro Magsaysay Sr. (August 31, 1907 – March 17, 1957) was a Filipino statesman who served as the seventh president of the Philippines, from December 30, 1953, until his death in an aircraft disaster on March 17, 1957. An automo ...

on September 21, 1956.

References

Bibliography

DFA in Tel-AvivPhilippine Embassy Article
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bachrach, Emil 1874 births 1937 deaths American expatriates in the Philippines American philanthropists American businesspeople People of American colonial Philippines People from Mogilev American people of Russian-Jewish descent American Jews Jews and Judaism in the Philippines Russian Jews

Career

References

Further reading

Bibliography