By YNet and COLlive
Mr. Joseph Safra, the Jewish Lebanese-Brazilian financier who became Brazil’s richest person and a renowned philanthropist to many Jewish and Chabad causes and institutions, passed away.
He was 82.
Safra helped run and expand his family’s private banking and wealth management empire, catering to an affluent clientele from Sao Paulo to New York and Monte Carlo. He died of natural causes, according to a statement issued by Banco Safra.
As a member of Brazil’s most prominent Jewish business family, Safra was credited with making Banco Safra one of Brazil’s soundest banks.
A fluent speaker of Arabic, English and four other languages, he emigrated to Brazil from Beirut with his father Jacob Safra and brothers Edmond Safra and Moise Safra to set up a trade financing shop.
Both Joseph and Moise funded the construction of the largest synagogue in Brazil, an ornate structure serving Sao Paulo’s Sephardic Jews, and the restoration of the country’s first synagogue, in the northeastern city of Recife.
Joseph Safra was deeply involved in Jewish community affairs in Brazil, spending a great deal of his time and fortune funding health, education, and charitable projects and paying for the construction of synagogues and community centers.
Safra was a deep admirer of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, said Shliach Rabbi Dovid Weitman, Chief Rabbi of the Synagogue Beit Yaacov in S. Paulo.
Safra merited to have a Yechidus private audience with the Rebbe on many occasions at 770 Eastern Parkway in New York, and was in regular contact with the Rebbe, consulting with him on various issues, through the “shadar” Rabbi Yosef Wineberg OBM.
Safra was blessed by the Rebbe to have children after many years of marriage and the Rebbe also extended his blessings to Safra for his financial success, Rabbi Weitman said.
The Safra family will be remembered for their tremendous philanthropy, and are generous supporters of Chabad centers, schools and activities in many countries around the world.
“His devotion to the preservation of the Jewish traditions in Brazil is priceless,” said Rabbi Weitman.
He is survived by his wife Vicky and his four children.
Baruch Dayan Ha’emes.
He gave Tzadakah all over the world, many years ago I was in Africa and a saw the synagogue beit yaacov donated his family.
May his memory be blessed!
A great Bal Tsedaka!
Even being the greatest power in Brazil, he was always concerned with the Jewish community keeping all the traditions in his family