Friends in High Places: Marc Rich's Jewish Fans

The Forward - February 16, 2001

One-hundred people wrote letters that were included in a packet urging a presidential pardon for alleged tax cheat Marc Rich. More than one-half of the letter-writers are from Israel, including cabinet ministers, intelligence officials, mayors, professors and cultural icons. Others from Europe and the United States represent major Jewish organizations and communal institutions, medical institutions, businesses, yeshivas, museums and humanitarian organizations. Most of the organizations mentioned on this list were among those that received funds from Mr. Rich's Doron Foundation for Culture and Education, registered in Israel, or The Marc Rich Foundation, registered in Switzerland. Following is a partial list of the names obtained by the Forward from Rep. Dan Burton, chairman of the House Committee on Government Reform:

Israel

Shabtai Shavit, former director of the Mossad
Professor Shlomo Ben Ami, minister of foreign affairs, minister of public security
Roni Milo, minister of health; former mayor of Tel Aviv
Ephraim Sneh, deputy minister of defense; former minister of health
Professor Yaakov Neeman, former minister of justice
Shulamit Aloni, former minister of education and culture
Isaac Herzog, secretary to the Cabinet
Ehud Olmert, mayor of Jerusalem
Ron Huldai, mayor of Tel Aviv-Jaffa
Teddy Kolleck, former mayor of Jerusalem
Shlomo Lahat, former mayor of Tel Aviv; chairman, Council on Peace and Security
Professor Itamar Rabinovich, president, Tel Aviv University; former ambassador to Washington
Professor Avishay Braverman, president, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Professor Moshe Kaveh, president, Bar-Ilan University
Haim Ben-Ami, CEO, ORT College for Advanced Technologies and Sciences, Jerusalem
Professor Avi Israeli, CEO, Hadassah Medical Organization, Jerusalem
Professor Shlomo Mor-Yosef, CEO, Soroka University Medical Center, Beer-Sheva
Dr. Dan Oppenheim, CEO, Rabin Medical Center, Tikva
Professor Jonathan Halevy, CEO, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem
Zubin Mehta, maestro & musical director, The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
Yaacov Agmon, CEO, Habima National Theatre of Israel
James S. Snyder, CEO & chief curator, The Israel Museum, Jerusalem; former deputy director, Museum of Modern Art, New York
Raya Zomer, Ein Hod Dada Museum
Avi Pazner, world chairman, United Israel Appeal-Keren Hayesod; former ambassador to France and Italy
Rabbi Yehuda Amital, dean, Yeshivat Har Etzion
Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, chief rabbi of Efrat
Rabbi Simcha Hacohen Kook, chief rabbi of Rehovot
Dr. Daniel Tropper, president, Gesher Foundation; former assistant to minister of education
Aura Herzog, wife of Israel's sixth president, the late Chaim Herzog
Dr. Riyad Zanoun, minister of health, Palestinian National Authority

United States

Abraham Foxman, national director, Anti-Defamation League
Marlene E. Post, past international president, Hadassah; chairperson, Birthright Israel-North America
Noach Dear, Councilman, 44th District, New York City
Michael Steinhardt, chairman and CEO, Steinhardt Associates & Co.
Rabbi Irving Greenberg, chairman of the board, United States Holocaust Memorial Council; President, Jewish Life Network
Michael Schneider, executive vice president, The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
Dr. Anthony J. Cernera, President, Sacred Heart University & Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding, Connecticut
Dr. Paul A. Marks, president, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Rabbi Shmuel Berenbaum, Rosh HaYeshiva, Mirrer Yeshiva Central Institute

Europe

Irene, Princess of Greece; president, Mundo En Armonia, Spain
Josef Estermann, mayor of Zurich, Switzerland
Rabbi Rene-Samuel Sirat, chief rabbi of France; vice president, Conference of European Rabbis
Issac Querub Caro, president, Jewish Community of Madrid
Eyal Sela, counselor for cultural affairs, Embassy of Israel, Spain
Leo Pavlát, director, Jewish Museum of Prague

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