Ricardo Wolf

Ricardo Wolf (originally Richard Wolf; 1887–1981) was an Israeli inventor, diplomat, and philanthropist. He was the former Cuban ambassador to Israel. He was the founder of the Wolf Foundation.[1]

Israel's foreign minister Golda Meir, President Yitzhak Ben-Zvi, and Cuban Ambassador to Israel Ricardo Subirana Y Lobo (Ricardo Wolf), after presenting his credentials. Jerusalem, 1960.

Early years

Ricardo Wolf was born in Hanover, Germany, in 1887. He was one of 14 children born to Moritz Wolf, a pillar of that city’s Jewish community.

Before the First World War, Wolf emigrated from Germany to Cuba, which became his second home. In 1924, he married Francisca Subirana, a tennis champion of the 1920s.

Later years

For many years, Ricardo Wolf and his brother Sigfried Wolf worked to develop a process for recovering iron from smelting process residue. Ultimately successful, his invention was utilized in steel factories all over the world, bringing him considerable wealth.

Wolf lent both moral and financial support to Fidel Castro from the onset of the Cuban revolution. Beholden to Ricardo Wolf for his unswerving support, and cognizant of his personality and natural gifts as a diplomat, the Cuban leader offered him the position of Minister of Finance and, after Wolf declined, responded to Wolf’s request and appointed him in 1961 Cuban Ambassador to Israel.

Wolf held this position until 1973, the year Cuba severed diplomatic ties with Israel. Upon relinquishing his diplomatic post, Wolf decided to remain in Israel, where he spent his final years.

Establishment of Wolf Foundation

In 1975, Ricardo Wolf established the Wolf Foundation. The Wolf Prize has been awarded since 1978 by the Wolf Foundation. The Wolf Prize is awarded in six fields: Agriculture, Chemistry, Mathematics, Medicine, Physics, and an Arts prize that rotates annually between architecture, music, painting and sculpture. Each prize consists of a diploma and US$100,000.

In February 1981, Ricardo Wolf died at his home in Herzliya, Israel.

References
  1. Ricardo Wolf: from the Jewish scientist to the Cuban diplomat
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.