Leonardo Julio Farkas Klein (
Santiago
Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...
,
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
, born March 20, 1967) is a Chilean businessman and philanthropist of Hungarian and Jewish descent, his wealth comes from
iron mining companies
operating in Chile. His philanthropy includes involvement in the Chilean Telethon, and people affected by disasters or in a vulnerable situation.
Early years
Farkas's parents were
Jews of Hungarian descent who emigrated from
Transylvania
Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...
to South America in 1939. His father, Daniel Farkas was one of various Hungarians in Chile active in
iron mining in southern Atacama Region, in a
geological
Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth s ...
region known as the
Chilean Iron Belt.
Farkas studied business administration at the
University of Santiago, Chile.
''Musical Career''
In the 1980s, he emigrated to the United States and worked in show business as a piano player while traveling between Las Vegas, New York, and Miami. He also worked in several Caribbean cruising companies. Known as “The Orchestra Man”, he shared stages with artists such as Tom Jones and Julio Iglesias.
During his performances, he met his wife, an American, Betina Friedman Parker, the great-granddaughter of Arthur Winarick, founder of the Concord Hotel in the Catskills in the state of New York, where they got married.
At the age of 35, he retired from music to focus solely on his wife and their three children, taking on various jobs as an exporter and seller of various products. He also entered the real estate business in the United States, and then mining business in Chile.
Consideration of presidential candidacy
In October 2008 Farkas announced that he was considering being an independent candidate for the
presidential election of 2009. However, on December 5, he announced he would not be running.

In the polls of the last 3 presidential elections in Chile, he has been mentioned among the top preferences but has never accepted to run. Between 2019 and 2020, Farkas's preferences increased in the polls. In July 2020, Farkas polled in second place for Chilean presidency.
In 2021, the international news company Bloomberg chose Leonardo Farkas among the 500 most influential Latin Americans. The agency stated that the mining entrepreneur is retired but "remains a relevant figure in local business and politics. More than anything, a philanthropist, Farkas has become a success story that, through social networks, promotes a successful platform to help thousands of Chileans in poverty situations."
Philanthropy
Farkas appears in the
Teletón (Chilean telethon), a fundraising campaign for handicapped children. Farkas donated hundreds of millions of
pesos, and in 2008, donated 1 billion
pesos (approx. US$2 million), becoming the first individual to donate such amount of money to this campaign.
Farkas has been very critical of the Chilean upper class, stating that "they’re usually very stingy and
elitist" and don't do enough to mitigate Chile's social problems. He has also said that if elected president "all Chileans would have their own house".
This rhetoric of appealing to the masses of poor people has gained him substantial support among that social group and some harsh criticism from his business peers and local politicians, often labeling him as a "
populist
Populism is a contested concept used to refer to a variety of political stances that emphasize the idea of the " common people" and often position this group in opposition to a perceived elite. It is frequently associated with anti-establis ...
" in search of some spotlight.
During the rescue operation in Copiapó, Chile of the
trapped miners, Farkas donated $10,000 to each of the 33 rescued men. Farkas reportedly gave checks in the miners' names to each of the families and set up a separate fund to collect donations.
On July 1, 2011, Farkas was given an award by the
Viña del Mar
Viña del Mar (; meaning "Vineyard of the Sea") is a List of cities in Chile, city and Communes of Chile, commune on Zona Central, Chile, central Chile's Pacific coast. Often referred to as ("The Garden City"), Viña del Mar is located withi ...
Mayor for his contributions to the city.
On February 7, 2018, Farkas offered a reward of 10 million Chilean pesos for anyone who found Emmelyn Catalina Cañales Vidal, an 11-year-old girl who was kidnapped in Licantén, Chile.
Farkas is a patron of the
March of the Living
The March of the Living (, ; ) is an annual educational program which brings students from around the world to Poland, where they explore the remnants of the Holocaust. On Holocaust Memorial Day observed in the Jewish calendar (), thousands of p ...
, an annual educational program which brings students to Poland, to study the history of the Holocaust and examine the roots of prejudice, intolerance and hate.
According to a study, coordinated by Magdalena Aninat, director of the ''Centro de Filantropía e Inversiones Sociales'' (Cefis) of the ''
Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez (UAI)'', which investigated the philanthropy and social investments of Chilean companies, concluded that "Farkas is an actor that it is pushing others and acting as a 'role of conscience.' It has a very interesting role to make visible a more American model of the success of the business world, where that success closes with returning the hand to society. In Chile we are not used to making donations visible, but Farkas is constantly challenging the business world to be present and that is positive," said the UAI academic.
Involvement with March Of The Living
In 2014, with the support of Leonardo Farkas,
March of the Living
The March of the Living (, ; ) is an annual educational program which brings students from around the world to Poland, where they explore the remnants of the Holocaust. On Holocaust Memorial Day observed in the Jewish calendar (), thousands of p ...
marked the 70th anniversary of the destruction of Hungarian Jewry at the hands of the Nazis in 1944 during World War II. On
Holocaust Remembrance Day, at the close of the memorial ceremony on the grounds of
Auschwitz-Birkenau
Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 Nazi concentration camps, concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany, occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) d ...
, a number of Holocaust survivors – many whose relatives perished in the death camp – joined Leonardo Farkas in the writing of the last letters of a
Torah
The Torah ( , "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () ...
. The
Torah
The Torah ( , "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () ...
was donated to the
March of the Living
The March of the Living (, ; ) is an annual educational program which brings students from around the world to Poland, where they explore the remnants of the Holocaust. On Holocaust Memorial Day observed in the Jewish calendar (), thousands of p ...
by Mr. Farkas.
Cultural Donations
In 2014, Leonardo donated the seven newly written
Sefer Torah
file:SeferTorah.jpg, A Sephardic Torah scroll rolled to the first paragraph of the Shema
file:Köln-Tora-und-Innenansicht-Synagoge-Glockengasse-040.JPG, An Ashkenazi Torah scroll rolled to the Decalogue
file:Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue, Inte ...
sent to six different continents: Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America. Over the years, Farkas has donated
Sefer Torah
file:SeferTorah.jpg, A Sephardic Torah scroll rolled to the first paragraph of the Shema
file:Köln-Tora-und-Innenansicht-Synagoge-Glockengasse-040.JPG, An Ashkenazi Torah scroll rolled to the Decalogue
file:Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue, Inte ...
s to the
Chabad-Lubavitch hassidic Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
organization and other institutions around the world.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Farkas, Leonardo
1967 births
Living people
Chilean businesspeople
Chilean businesspeople in mining
Chilean engineers
Chilean Jews
Chilean musicians
Chilean pianists
Male pianists
Chilean philanthropists
University of Santiago, Chile alumni
Candidates for President of Chile
Chilean people of Hungarian-Jewish descent
21st-century pianists
Chilean male musicians
21st-century male musicians