Clara de Hirsch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Clara de Hirsch
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Portrait in 1882
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| Born |
Claire Bischoffsheim
June 18, 1833 |
| Died | April 1, 1899 (aged 65) |
| Nationality | Belgian |
| Spouse(s) |
Maurice de Hirsch
(m. 1855; died 1896) |
| Parent(s) | Jonathan-Raphaël Bischoffsheim and Henriette Goldschmidt |
| Relatives | Ferdinand-Raphaël Bischoffsheim (brother) Hortense Bischoffsheim (sister) |
Clara de Hirsch (born Claire Bischoffsheim; June 18, 1833 – April 1, 1899) was a kind and generous Belgian woman. She was known as the Baroness de Hirsch because she was married to Baron Maurice de Hirsch. Clara was a smart businesswoman and a very important helper of people in need, giving away huge amounts of money to help others.
Contents
Clara's Early Life and Family
Clara was born in Antwerp, Belgium. Her father was Jonathan-Raphaël Bischoffsheim, and her mother was Henriette Goldschmidt. Her mother's brother, Solomon H. Goldschmidt, was a leader of a group called the Alliance Israélite Universelle, which helped Jewish communities around the world.
Clara received a great education and was very good at languages. She could speak and write French, German, English, and Italian fluently. After finishing school, she worked as her father's secretary. This job taught her a lot about his business and how he helped people. This experience was very useful later in her life, especially after her husband passed away. She became the only person in charge of his large fortune. Clara was also a good writer and often helped her husband with his work, even when his other helpers were very busy.
In 1855, she married Baron Maurice de Hirsch. They lived in different cities, including Munich, Brussels, and finally Paris. They had two children, a girl and a boy. Sadly, their daughter died when she was a baby, and their son, Lucien, passed away in 1887 when he was 31 years old. After Lucien's death, Clara was heartbroken and wore black clothes for the rest of her life.
Soon after their son died, Clara and her husband traveled to Constantinople (now Istanbul). While there, Clara spent a lot of time in the poor parts of the city. She carefully looked into what people needed and gave away more than $125,000 to families, no matter their background. Her husband, Maurice, might have used his money for other things, but Clara gently guided him to focus on helping people. She believed that money should be used to help poor and struggling Jewish people. She encouraged her husband to use his energy to help his fellow Jewish people who were in need.
Clara's Amazing Charity Work
Clara was a true partner and inspiration for her husband in his charity work. They worked together to create new communities in Argentina and Canada. These places offered a safe home for Jewish people who were being treated unfairly in Russia and other Eastern countries. Clara knew all about her husband's plans. This meant that after he died in 1896, she could continue, grow, and finish all the projects he had started.
Her husband trusted her completely. He left her in charge of his huge fortune and made her the main person to receive his money. After his death, Clara continued to work from her home in Paris. She spent her days from early morning until late at night, surrounded by her secretaries, managing her charity work.
A year after her husband passed away, Clara sent $1,000,000 to America. This money was meant to help people living in crowded areas of New York City. Her idea was to help immigrants move out of the city to more rural areas, where they could find better homes at low prices.
She also gave $150,000 to build a new building for the Baron de Hirsch Trade School in New York City. This helped the school teach more skills to students. Clara also gave $200,000 to build the Clara de Hirsch Home for Working Girls. She then gave another $600,000 to keep the home running. This home provided a safe place for young working girls who didn't have a home and offered training in household skills for immigrants.
Clara also set up a pension fund of $700,000 for the workers of the Oriental railways that her husband had built. She created a similar fund for teachers in the Baron de Hirsch schools in Galicia. She opened charity offices in Vienna and Budapest. She also gave $500,000 each to the Pasteur Institute in Paris (a famous research center) and to the Philanthropic Society of Paris.
During the years she was a widow, Clara gave away more than $15,000,000 to help others. In her will, she left another $10,000,000 to her various foundations. She wanted to give away almost all of her money, keeping only enough for herself and for her two adopted sons, Maurice and Raymond de Forest. However, she passed away in Paris in 1899 before she could finish her plan.
Clara's Gifts in Her Will
Clara de Hirsch left many important gifts in her will to continue her charity work:
- Œuvre de nourriture: $600,000 to provide food and clothing for poor children attending Alliance Israelite schools.
- Baron de Hirsch Fund, New York City: $1,200,000 to help immigrants.
- Jewish Board of Guardians, London: $600,000 as a loan fund to help people.
- École normale orientale de l'Alliance israélite in Paris: $800,000 for a school.
- Pension Fund for Teachers, Their Orphans and Widows: $600,000 to support teachers and their families.
- Baron de Hirsch Institute, Montreal: $1,200,000 for a community center.
- Baron de Hirsch Foundation for Providing Schools in Galicia: $2,200,000 for schools.
- Baroness Clara de Hirsch's Emperor Francis Joseph's Jubilee Foundation (for supporting children in Austria): $400,000.
- Clara de Hirsch Home for Working Girls, New York City: $600,000 to continue its work.
- Philanthropic Society of Paris: $200,000.
- Committee of Jewish Charities, Paris: $100,000.
- Smaller gifts to individuals and other groups: $800,000.
Images for kids
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Grave of Maurice de Hirsch and Clara de Hirsch in Montmartre Cemetery, Paris.
