Maurice Wohl (4 January 1917 – 28 June 2007) was a British businessman and philanthropist.

Biography

Maurice Wohl was born in the East End of London to Eastern European parents. At a young age, Wohl became a property developer creating 'United Real Property Trust' in 1948. He rose to success by innovation in raising modern office buildings in the damaged post-

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

London and his business also later spread to Australia. By the mid-1970s, he had retired to

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. Wohl was made

Commander of Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE) in 1992. Wohl died on 28 June 2007 (13th of Tammuz, 5767). He was buried in the Sanhedria Cemetery in Jerusalem the next day, eulogised by former

Chief Rabbi Chief Rabbi () is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities. Since 1911, through a capitulation by Ben-Zion Meir ...

of Israel, Yisrael Meir Lau. Vivienne, his wife who had also been very active and highly regarded, died on 24 April 2005 (15th of

Nisan Nisan (or Nissan; from ) in the Babylonian and Hebrew calendars is the month of the barley ripening and first month of spring. The name of the month is an Akkadian language borrowing, although it ultimately originates in Sumerian ''nisag' ...

, 5765). The couple had been

childless ''Childless'' is a 2008 American drama film written and directed by Charlie Levi and starring Barbara Hershey, Joe Mantegna, James Naughton and Diane Venora. The sudden passing of a teenage girl unsettles the four adults in her life. Jarred by ...

Civic and philanthropic activities

Wohl was president of the Jerusalem Great Synagogue in Israel. In honour of his many contributions in

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

, Wohl was given the title "Trustee of Jerusalem" (''Ne-eman Yerushalayim'') by

Ehud Olmert Ehud Olmert (; , ; born 30 September 1945) is an Israeli politician and lawyer who served as the prime minister of Israel from 2006 to 2009. The son of a former Herut politician, Olmert was first elected to the Knesset for Likud in 1973, at th ...

when he was mayor of the city. Wohl also received an honorary doctorate from

Bar-Ilan University Bar-Ilan University (BIU, , ''Universitat Bar-Ilan'') is a public research university in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel. Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is Israel's second-largest academic university institution. It has 20,000 ...

in 2001. Wohl contributed tens of millions of dollars to the construction of public structures and support of various foundations some of which include:

In Israel

* Wohl Amphitheatre in The Yarkon Park,

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

* Wohl Rose Park opposite the

Knesset The Knesset ( , ) is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Israel. The Knesset passes all laws, elects the President of Israel, president and Prime Minister of Israel, prime minister, approves the Cabinet of Israel, cabinet, and supe ...

* Wohl Archaeological Museum in

Old City of Jerusalem The Old City of Jerusalem (; ) is a walled area in Jerusalem. In a tradition that may have begun with an 1840s British map of the city, the Old City is divided into four uneven quarters: the Muslim Quarter, the Christian Quarter, the Arm ...

* Wohl Centre (convention/cultural centre), 'The Book and the Wall', designed by architect

Daniel Libeskind Daniel Libeskind (born May 12, 1946) is a Polish–American architect, artist, professor and set designer. Libeskind founded Studio Daniel Libeskind in 1989 with his wife, Nina, and is its principal design architect. He is known for the design a ...

* benefactor of thousands of scholarships to students in Bar Ilan University * an operating room complex at

Shaare Zedek Medical Center The Shaare Zedek Medical Center () is a large teaching hospital in Jerusalem. It was established in 1902 and is affiliated with Hebrew University of Jerusalem. History Shaare Zedek was the first large district general hospital to be located ...

in Jerusalem * Wohl Institute for Advanced Imaging, Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv * Wohl Synagogue in 'Lamed' neighbourhood, Tel Aviv * Mercaz haRav * The

Slonim Slonim is a town in Grodno Region, in western Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Slonim District. It is located at the junction of the Shchara and Isa (river), Isa rivers, southeast of Grodno. As of 2025, it has a population of ...

Yeshiva * Yeshivat HaKotel * Jerusalem College of Technology * Shalva association of mentally and physically challenged childre

* dedicated the first volume of the English edition of

Talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...

Tractate

Bava Metzia Bava Metzia (, "The Middle Gate") is the second of the first three Talmudic tractates in the order of Nezikin ("Damages"), the other two being Bava Kamma and Bava Batra. Originally all three formed a single tractate called ''Nezikin'' (torts or ...

by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz

In the United Kingdom

* Maurice Wohl Charitable Foundation * Maurice Wohl Charitable Trust * Maurice Wohl General Dental Practice Centre, Dental Institute at

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

* Maurice Wohl Laboratory, Institute of Liver Studies, King's College GKT School of Medicine * Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute,

Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) is a centre for mental health and neuroscience research, education and training in Europe. It is dedicated to understanding, preventing and treating mental illness, neurological co ...

at King's College London * Maurice Wohl Research Fellowship in Surgery/Dental Surgery Detail

at

Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) is a professional organisation of surgeons. The RCSEd has five faculties, covering a broad spectrum of surgical, dental, and other medical and healthcare specialities. Its main campus is locate ...

* Wohl Virion Centre, Division of Infection and Immunity at

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

In Ukraine

* the Wohl CentreBetsy Gidwitz Reports
/ref> () — Jewish community center in

Kharkiv Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine.

city. Inside the building are located: , Jewish culture center "Beit Dan" and regional JDC Джойнт. While many establishments carried the Wohl name, Maurice Wohl was also known for donating to many organisations and charities without that same publicity.

References

External links

Ha'aretz obituary

The Wohl Centre at Bar-Ilan University

National Union Party (Israel)Obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wohl, Maurice 1917 births 2007 deaths People educated at the City of London School People educated at Hackney Downs School British businesspeople in real estate English Jews Commanders of the Order of the British Empire People associated with King's College London Jewish British philanthropists 20th-century English philanthropists British expatriates in Switzerland