Jacob Safra

Jacob Safra (Arabic: يعقوب صفرا‎) (1891 - 27 May 1963) was a Syrian-Lebanese banker.[2][3][4][5] The Safras were bankers and gold traders engaged in the financing of trade between Beirut, Aleppo, Istanbul and Alexandria.[6]

Jacob Safra
Born
Jacob Elie Safra

1891
Aleppo, Syria
Died27 May 1963
São Paulo, Brazil
NationalityLebanese[1] 
OccupationBanker
Spouse(s)Esther Safra
Children8, including Edmond Safra, Joseph Safra, and Moise Safra

Biography

The Safra family were originally a Jewish merchant family of northern Lebanon, who historically made their money from financing the caravans of the Middle East.[7]

When the Ottoman Empire fell apart in 1918, Jacob Safra, opened the family bank in the 1920s in Beirut, building on the Safras' long experience in gold and currency exchange.[8] With its base in Lebanon, the Jacob E. Safra Bank became the bank of choice for many of Syria's and Lebanon's rich Sephardic Jewish families, who trusted the Safras to manage their business and personal financial interests with care and discretion. The bank was later renamed Banque de crédit national S.A.L. (BCN) and is one of the five oldest banks in Lebanon.[8]

In 1952, he moved to Brazil with his four sons: Elie, Edmond, Joseph and Moise. They founded a Brazilian financial institution in 1955.

Personal life

Safra married his cousin, Esther. They had four sons: Elie, Edmond, Joseph, and Moise; and four daughters: Evelyn, Gabi, Arlette, and Ughette.[9] Safra Square in Jerusalem is named in honor of him and his wife.[10]

References
  1. Jacob Eliaho Safra (1954), Jacob Eliaho Safra (1955) and Jacob Eliaho Safra 1956) information from the National Archives, Rio de Janeiro. Scan of Jacob Safra's Brazilian entry visa on 1954, 1955 and 1956 on familysearch.org
  2. Jacob Eliaho Safra (1954), Jacob Eliaho Safra (1955) and Jacob Eliaho Safra 1956) information from the National Archives, Rio de Janeiro. On familysearch.org, accessed on April 4th, 2020 (Scan of Jacob Safra's Brazilian entry visa on 1954, 1955 and 1956 on familysearch.org)
  3. Romero, Simon (1999-12-08). "INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS; The Safras of Brazil: Banking, Faith and Security". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-03-22.
  4. Zenner, Walter P. (2000). A Global Community: The Jews from Aleppo, Syria. Wayne State University Press. p. 102. ISBN 0-8143-2791-5.
  5. "Celebrities in Switzerland: Edmond Safra Biography"
  6. "Edmond J. Safra". Retrieved 2008-03-22.
  7. Anthony, Andrew (2000). "The strange case of Edmond Safra". Theguardian.com.
  8. "Banque de Credit National- History". Bcnlb.com.
  9. Veja: "Final trágico - Um dos maiores banqueiros do mundo, Edmond Safra morre asfixiado num assalto" by Eliana Simonetti August 12, 1999 (in Portuguese) | "Caou-se com uma prima, Esther, e teve oito filhos: quatro homens, Elie, Edmond, Joseph e Moise, e quatro mulheres, uma delas, Evelyn, mãe do antigo dono do banco Excel Econômico, brasileiro, Ezequiel Nasser. As outras três são Gabi, Arlette e Ughette."
  10. Safra Square outside Jerusalem City Hall on YouTube
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