Maurice Wohl (4 January 1917 – 28 June 2007) was a British businessman and philanthropist.

Biography

Maurice Wohl was born in the East End of London to Eastern European parents. At a young age, Wohl became a property developer creating 'United Real Property Trust' in 1948. He rose to success by innovation in raising modern office buildings in the damaged post-

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 ...

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 Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

(CBE) in 1992. Wohl died on 28 June 2007 (13th of

Tammuz Dumuzid or Tammuz ( sux, , ''Dumuzid''; akk, Duʾūzu, Dûzu; he, תַּמּוּז, Tammûz),; ar, تمّوز ' known to the Sumerians as Dumuzid the Shepherd ( sux, , ''Dumuzid sipad''), is an ancient Mesopotamian god associated with shep ...

, 5767). He was buried in the

Sanhedria Cemetery Sanhedria Cemetery ( he, בית עלמין סנהדריה) is a 27- dunam (6.67- acre) Jewish burial ground in the Sanhedria neighborhood of Jerusalem, adjacent to the intersection of Levi Eshkol Boulevard, Shmuel HaNavi Street, and Bar-Ilan ...

in Jerusalem the next day, eulogised by former Chief Rabbi of Israel,

Yisrael Meir Lau Yisrael Meir Lau ( he, ישראל מאיר לאו; born 1 June 1937) served as 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 Early life ...

. Vivienne, his wife who had also been very active and highly regarded, died on 24 April 2005 (15th of Nisan, 5765). The couple had been childless.

Civic and philanthropic activities

Wohl was president of the

Jerusalem Great Synagogue The Great Synagogue of Jerusalem, ( he, בֵּית הַכְּנֶסֶת הַגָּדוֹל בּיְרוּשָׁלַיִם), is located at 56 King George Street (Jerusalem), King George Street, Jerusalem. Rabbi Zalman Druck was the spiritual lead ...

in Israel. In honour of his many contributions in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

, 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 Bar-Ilan University (BIU, he, אוניברסיטת בר-אילן, ''Universitat Bar-Ilan'') is a public research university in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel. Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is Israel's second-largest academi ...

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 Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the ...

Wohl Rose Park Wohl Rose Park (Hebrew: גן הוורדים, ''Gan HaVradim'') is a public garden in Givat Ram, Jerusalem, located opposite the Knesset and government precinct, at the foot of the Israeli Supreme Court. The park was established in 1981. Over 400 ...

opposite the

Knesset The Knesset ( he, הַכְּנֶסֶת ; "gathering" or "assembly") is the unicameral legislature of Israel. As the supreme state body, the Knesset is sovereign and thus has complete control of the entirety of the Israeli government (with ...

* Wohl Archaeological Museum in Old City of Jerusalem *

Wohl Centre The Wohl Centre is a convention center on the main campus of Bar-Ilan University in Ramat-Gan, Israel. History Wohl Centre was built between 2001 and 2005 and covers about 42,000 square feet (3,900 square meters). The building, designed by the i ...

(convention/cultural centre), 'The Book and the Wall', designed by architect Daniel Libeskind at

* benefactor of thousands of scholarships to students in Bar Ilan University * an operating room complex at

Shaare Zedek Medical Center The Shaare Zedek Medical Center ( he, מרכז רפואי שערי צדק, ''Merkaz Refu'i Sha'arei Tzedek'') (lit. "Gates of Justice") is a large teaching hospital in Jerusalem established in 1902, It affiliated with Hebrew University of Jerusal ...

in Jerusalem * Wohl Institute for Advanced Imaging,

Sourasky Medical Center Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center ( he, המרכז הרפואי תל אביב ע"ש סוראסקי; commonly referred to as Ichilov Hospital) is the main hospital complex serving Tel Aviv, Israel and its metropolitan area and the second-largest hos ...

, Tel Aviv * Wohl Synagogue in 'Lamed' neighbourhood, Tel Aviv *

Mercaz haRav Mercaz HaRav (officially, he, מרכז הרב - הישיבה המרכזית העולמית, "The Center of Rabbi ook- the Central Universal Yeshiva") is a national-religious yeshiva in Jerusalem, founded in 1924 by Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Abraha ...

* The Slonim Yeshiva *

Yeshivat HaKotel Yeshivat HaKotel ( he, ישיבת הכותל, lit=Yeshiva of the Western Wall) is a religious Zionist Hesder yeshiva situated in the Old City of Jerusalem. The yeshiva's building is located opposite the Temple Mount and overlooks the Kotel (W ...

Jerusalem College of Technology The Jerusalem College of Technology - Lev Academic Center (JCT; he, המרכז האקדמי לב) is a private college in Israel, recognized by the Council for Higher Education, which specializes in providing high-level science and technology ed ...

* Shalva association of mentally and physically challenged childre

* dedicated the first volume of the English edition of

Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law ('' halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the ce ...

Tractate

Bava Metzia Bava Metzia (Talmudic Aramaic: בָּבָא מְצִיעָא, "The Middle Gate") is the second of the first three Talmudic tractates in the order of Nezikin ("Damages"), the other two being Bava Kamma and Bava Batra. Originally all three formed ...

by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz

In the United Kingdom

* Maurice Wohl Charitable Foundation * Maurice Wohl Charitable Trust * Maurice Wohl General Dental Practice Centre, Dental Institute at King's College London * Maurice Wohl Laboratory, Institute of Liver Studies, King's College GKT School of Medicine * Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute,

Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN) is a research institution dedicated to discovering what causes mental illness and diseases of the brain. In addition, its aim is to help identify new treatments for them and ways ...

at King's College London * Maurice Wohl Research Fellowship in Surgery/Dental Surgery Detail

at

Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) is a professional organisation of surgeons. The College has seven active faculties, covering a broad spectrum of surgical, dental, and other medical practices. Its main campus is located o ...

* Wohl Virion Centre, Division of Infection and Immunity at

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

In Ukraine

* the Wohl CentreBetsy Gidwitz Reports
/ref> ( uk, Єврейський Центр "WOHL") — jewish community center in

Kharkiv Kharkiv ( uk, wikt:Харків, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine.JDC Джойнт. While many establishments carried the Wohl name, Maurice Wohl was also known for donating to many organisations and charities without that same publicity.

References

External links

Ha'aretz obituary

The Wohl Centre at Bar-Ilan University

National Union Party (Israel)Obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wohl, Maurice 1917 births 2007 deaths People educated at the City of London School People educated at Hackney Downs School British real estate businesspeople English Jews Commanders of the Order of the British Empire People associated with King's College London Jewish British philanthropists 20th-century British philanthropists British expatriates in Switzerland