The man, the path, the vision
"But more, much more than this,
I did it my way."
Baruch (Bruce) Rappaport was born in Haifa where he met his wife and life partner, Ruth. He served in the British Army and was among the founders of the Military Police, graduated from Law school and served in the Military High Court of Appeal. In his search for "his way" in the world, Bruce arrived in Geneva in the late 1950’s, and began his successful business career by providing support services to shipping companies. His first company, Inter Maritime Supplies had offices in 650 ports throughout the world. He was one of the first to anticipate the rise in energy prices, and with remarkable prescience, built a fleet of 74 ships and containers. When he later identified the difficulties in financing the expansion of the shipping business, he entered into the world of banking as well. Within just a few years Bruce Rappaport became the largest private investor in the Bank of New York (established in 1784, considered among the most important banks in the world). Several years later, the Bank of New York became a partner in the bank founded by Bruce in Geneva – Bank of NY – Inter Maritime Bank. At that time, Bruce embarked into the global oil business, founded a highly successful trade company, and began searching for oil in Siberia and in Georgia, establishing refineries in Eastern Europe and in the Caribbean Islands and sailing oil tankers across the oceans.
Always searching for new challenges and for ways to help the Jewish people and promote positive relationships among nations, Bruce Rappaport set foot in countries which no Israeli had ever reached before and offered the State of Israel and the Jewish people his excellent contacts in these countries.
From time to time, he initiated “out of the box” ideas, not all of which reached public recognition.
With his wife Ruth (may she live long), Bruce lead a full life, combining outstanding success in business and a passion for the arts and culture, with a societal commitment to promote culture and science, health and education.
As a pioneer, he understood the concept of social responsibility earlier than most others.
As a philanthropist, Bruce supported many projects both in resources and in new initiatives.
In 1979 he co-founded the Faculty of Medicine at the Technion. He moved on to establish the Rappaport Institute for Medical Research (1982), to ensure that the faculty, that carries his and his wife Ruth’s names, be a perpetual home for medical scientific activity - at the highest level. Therefore, when drafting an agreement establishing the institute, Mr. Rappaport was careful to keep on creating a unique infrastructure that would retain the target of a scientific research institute and constitute a solid foundation for developing medical discoveries that would contribute to the health of mankind. In 2002, he established the institute's commercial arm "Biorap Technologies" that implements the inventions, protects the discoveries and intellectual property of members of the Institute and offers investors and strategic partners a diverse portfolio of opportunities representing the latest life science technologies.
Ruth and Bruce were proud to accompany Professors Avram Hershko and Aaron Ciechanover to Stockholm, when they received the 2004 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Amongst the other contributions of Bruce and Ruth Rappaport are the new Children’s Hospital at the Rambam Medical Campus, the Center for Culture and Art in Haifa, the Center for Assimilation Research and Strengthening Jewish Vitality in Bar Ilan University, daycare centers, kindergartens, Wizo shelters and many other cultural and scientific endeavors in Israel and abroad, as well as the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Sculpture Gallery in the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, where they also took part in the expansion of the Museum,. Additionally, there are the Rappaport Prizes, currently conferred in two categories – the arts and medical research.
The exceptional legacy left behind by Bruce Rappaport continues through his wife Ruth, his four daughters – Irith, Vered, Shoshana and Noga, his grandchildren and great grandchildren.
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