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In January, 2008, Mr. Josef Buchmann flew 90
students of the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music at
Tel Aviv University to the United Nations in New
York City. There, under the baton of Zubin Mehta,
the young musicians performed a concert marking the
UN International Day of Commemoration of the Victims
of the Holocaust.
For Mr. Buchmann the event brought him full circle.
From a young orphan liberated from the Bergen-Belsen
death camp in 1945, Buchmann stood on the world
stage, the proud sponsor of a project symbolizing
Jewish continuity, Israeli cultural impact, and
educational excellence.
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Buchmann’s Jewish and social commitment, and his
drive to simply help people, define an extraordinary
life as international businessman and
philanthropist. He was born in Lodz, Poland, the
fifth child of Eliezer and Haya Sara Buchmann. Most
of his family was killed by the Nazis, but he
survived the concentration camps to become a
successful real estate developer.
Mr. Buchmann has supported numerous medical,
welfare, educational and arts-related organizations
in Europe and Israel for decades. He has been a
longtime benefactor of the Israel Philharmonic
Orchestra, and his close friendship with Zubin Mehta
led to the establishment of the Buchmann-Mehta
School of Music at Tel Aviv University in
cooperation with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.
He contributed the Josef Buchmann Children’s
Hospital in Frankfurt and the Buchmann Gynecology
and Maternity Center, Sheba Medical Center, and
Buchmann Wing, Sourasky Medical Center, in Israel.
Among his other causes are Jewish museums, Soviet
Aliyah and soldier welfare in Israel, as well as
education and daily hot meals for children in Tel
Aviv.
In August 2009, Mr. Buchmann was decorated with the
“Commanders Cross with Star” of the Polish Order of
Merit by the President of the Republic of Poland,
Lech Kaczynski, as part of the Survivors Park
celebrations on the 65th anniversary of the
liquidation of the Lodz Ghetto. Mr. Buchmann
spearheaded the renewal of the cemetery of the Lodz
Ghetto, partnered in the Lodz Ghetto Memorial at
Radegast Station, and provided day-to-day care for
elderly Jewish survivors.
At Tel Aviv University, in addition to establishing
the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music, Mr. Buchmann
founded the Josef Buchmann Doctoral Fellowship Fund;
co-sponsored the European Documentation Center; and
dedicated the Buchmann Faculty of Law in memory of
his parents who perished in the Holocaust. His
latest project at TAU is the establishment, together
with fellow TAU supporter Dr. Mario Adler, of the
new Adler-Buchmann International Program for
Outstanding Foreign Music Students at the
Buchmann-Mehta School of Music.
Josef Buchmann serves as Vice Chairman of the Tel
Aviv University Board of Governors. Among his many
accolades, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from
Tel Aviv University in 2002, and was recognized by
Prime Ministers Itzhak Rabin and Ariel Sharon for
his contributions to the State of Israel. For his
extraordinary devotion to Israel and his many
achievements, he was given a special prize by the
late President Ezer Weizman on the occasion of the
state’s 50th Jubilee, and was again acknowledged by
President Shimon Peres during the country’s 60th
anniversary celebrations. |
