Joseph S. Gruss

Joseph S. Gruss
Born March 19, 1903
Died July 3, 1993 (age 91)
Nationality United States
Ethnicity Jewish
Occupation Businessman
Known for founder of Gruss & Company
Children Martin David Gruss
Evelyn Gruss Lipper

Joseph Saul Gruss (March 19, 1903 – July 3, 1993)[1] was a financier, businessman, and philanthropist who supported Jewish education.[2]

Biography

Gruss was born to a Jewish family in in Lvov, one of seven children.[1] His father, Isaac, was a Talmudic scholar and banker; his mother belonged to a family involved in the export grain business.[1] In 1939, he founded a travel agency in New York City.[1] While he and his wife were in the United States, the Nazis invaded eastern Europe, and they were unable to return home. Their first born child[1] and many of their relatives perished in the Holocaust.[2] In 1942, he founded the Wall Street firm, Gruss & Company,[3] which focused on mergers and arbitrage primarily in the oil and gas industries. Thereafter, he engaged in oil and gas exploration and development primarily in Texas, Oklahoma, Wyoming, and West Virginia.[2] In the 1970s, he focused on philanthropy particularly for Jewish education.[2]

Philanthropy

Gruss emphasized Jewish education for his philanthropic activities supporting hundreds of Jewish schools and thousands of students and educators.[1] He funded Yeshiva University's Caroline and Joseph S. Gruss Institute in Jerusalem;[4] the Caroline Zelaznik Gruss and Joseph S. Gruss Visiting Professorship in Talmudic Civil Law; and the Fund for Jewish Education in association with the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies and the United Jewish Appeal of New York.[3] In 1989, he funded the expansion of the White Plains campus of the Solomon Schechter School of Westchester to help accommodate the demands of Westchester's largest Jewish day school.[5] The Gruss Life Monument Fund was founded in 1991 to continue his charitable activities after his death.[1] The Joseph S Gruss Yeshiva High School in Brooklyn, New York bears his name.

Personal life

In 1934, he married Caroline Zelaznik (died 1987), a lawyer.[1] They had two children: Martin David Gruss and Dr. Evelyn Gruss Lipper. His daughter was married to Hollywood producer, author, and former New York City deputy mayor, Kenneth Lipper.[2] His grandson, Joshua Carl Gruss married fashion designer Shoshanna Lonstein Gruss.[6]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Gruss Life Monument Fund: "Our Founders - The Gruss Life Monument Funds was established in 1991 to perpetuate the philanthropic endeavors of Caroline and Joseph Gruss. Mrs. Gruss died in 1987, Mr. Gruss in 1993, but there is no doubt that their legacy is eternal" retrieved March 12, 2015
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 New York Times: "Joseph Gruss, 91, Philanthropist Who Supported Jewish Schools" By ERIC PACE July 5, 1993
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Tikvah Center at NYU School of Law: "The Annual Caroline and Joseph S. Gruss Lecture" retrieved March 12, 2015
  4. ↑ Yeshiva University: "Caroline and Joseph S. Gruss Institute in Jerusalem" retrieved March 12, 2015
  5. ↑ "Solomon Schechter School of Westchester: History of the School". schechterwestchester.org.
  6. ↑ New York Times: "WEDDINGS/CELEBRATIONS; Shoshanna Lonstein, Joshua Gruss" May 11, 2003

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