- Ricardo Wolf
Dr. Ricardo Wolf (1887-1981) was a Jewish-German-Cuban-Israeli
inventor ,diplomat ,philanthropist and formerCuba nambassador toIsrael . He was the founder of theWolf Foundation .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 , Dr. Wolf emigrated fromGermany toCuba , which became his second home. In 1924, he married Francisca Subirana, a tennis champion of the 1920s.Later years
For many years, Ricardo Wolf worked to develop a process for recovering
iron from smelting process residue. Ultimately successful, his invention was utilized insteel factories all over the world, bringing him considerable wealth.Dr. Wolf lent both moral and financial support to
Fidel Castro from the onset of theCuban revolution . Beholden to Ricardo Wolf for his unswerving support, and cognizant of his personality and natural gifts as a diplomat, the Cuban leader responded to Dr. Wolf’s request and appointed him in 1961 Cuban Ambassador toIsrael .Dr. Wolf held this position until 1973, the year Cuba severed diplomatic ties with Israel. Upon relinquishing his diplomatic post, Dr. 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 anArts prize that rotates annually betweenarchitecture ,music ,painting andsculpture . Each prize consists of a diploma and USD$100,000.In February 1981, Dr. Ricardo Wolf died at his home in
Herzlia ,Israel .External links
* [http://www.wolffund.org.il Website of Wolf Foundation]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
