Leon Charney facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Leon Charney
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| Born | July 23, 1938 Bayonne, New Jersey, U.S.
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| Died | March 21, 2016 (aged 77) |
| Alma mater | Yeshiva University Brooklyn Law School |
| Occupation | Real estate investor, attorney, political advisor, talk-show host, author, cantor, philanthropist |
| Spouse(s) | Tzili Doron |
| Children | Mickey Charney Nati Charney |
Leon Charney (born July 23, 1938 – died March 21, 2016) was an American businessman, lawyer, author, and helper of many causes. He was also a political expert and a TV personality. He lived in Manhattan in New York City. He also spent time in Tel Aviv, Israel, and Boca Raton, Florida. In 2012, Forbes magazine listed Charney as one of the wealthiest Americans. He studied at Yeshiva University and Brooklyn Law School.
Charney was well-known for his success in real estate in New York. But he also played a secret, important role in helping to create the Camp David Accords peace treaty. This treaty was signed between Israel and Egypt. In 1979, Charney was an unofficial advisor to former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. His behind-the-scenes work helped create the first peace agreement between Israel and Egypt in 1978 and 1979.
In 2008, Charney appeared on the Forbes 400 list of the richest Americans for the first time. He was ranked No. 321. Even during the world financial crisis in 2009, his rank improved to No. 296. This showed that while he lost some money, he lost less than many other very rich people.
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Early Life and Education
Leon Harris Charney was born into a Jewish family in Bayonne, New Jersey. His father, Morris, sold sewing supplies and died when Leon was young. Leon grew up without much money. He went to Jewish day schools. He also worked as a counselor at Camp Winsokee.
He graduated from Yeshiva University in 1960. Then he graduated from Brooklyn Law School in 1964. He helped pay for his schooling by singing in synagogues. He also sold sewing machines door-to-door.
Leon Charney's Career
In 1965, Charney became a lawyer. With only $200, he started his own law firm. He worked for famous people in sports and entertainment. As a young lawyer, he also strongly supported the Good Samaritan Law. This law protects doctors who help people in emergencies. He saw a man die because doctors were afraid to help him.
Charney became an advisor to U.S. Senator Vance Hartke of Indiana when he was 36. He was Senator Hartke's special advisor for six years. Through this work, Charney became more involved in international politics. He became close to Golda Meir, who was the Prime Minister of Israel. Charney worked with her to help Soviet Jews move to Israel. This effort helped 1,000 Jews from Minsk in the Soviet Union move to Israel.
Later, U.S. President Jimmy Carter asked Charney for advice during the Camp David Accords. Charney called his work "back door channels." He advised President Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1981. President Carter even called Charney "the unsung hero of the Camp David Peace Treaty" in one of Charney's books.
In 1986, Charney traveled to Tunisia. He met with Yasser Arafat. He hoped to find a peaceful solution to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
The Back Door Channel Documentary
In 2009, Charney was featured in a documentary film called Back Door Channels: The Price of Peace. The film starred former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. It first showed in Abu Dhabi in October 2010. This film shared new details about the original peace process. Some of these details showed a less perfect picture of American efforts at the time.
The film was about the 1979 Peace Treaty between Israel and Egypt. It showed the real-life drama that led to this historic peace treaty. The film's title refers to Charney himself. Many people saw him as the "back door channel" that helped the Camp David peace happen. This agreement was the first between Israel and an Arab country. Besides Carter and Charney, the film also featured other important people. These included former Secretary-General of the U.N. Boutros Boutros-Ghali and Dr. Henry Kissinger.
The film was also shown at many film festivals. These included the 2012 Jerusalem Film Festival and the 2012 Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. In 2014, Charney won an Emmy Award for the TV version of the documentary. It aired on PBS.
The Leon Charney Report TV Show
Charney hosted a weekly TV talk show called Leon Charney Report. The show discussed local New York politics, world affairs, and social issues. Over 25 years, many important guests appeared on the show. These included Ed Koch, Rudy Giuliani, Shimon Peres, and Yitzhak Rabin. His show was seen weekly on a local TV station for many years. Later, it became available as a podcast on NPR and was broadcast on radio across the country.
Books by Leon Charney
Charney wrote five books. Two of his books were about Judaism: The Mystery of the Kaddish: Its Profound Influence on Judaism and Battle of the Two Talmuds: Judaism's Struggle with Power, Glory, & Guilt. He also wrote three books about the peace process between Israel and its Arab neighbors: The Charney Report: Confronting the Israeli-Arab Conflict, Special Counsel, and Back Door Channels: The Price of Peace.
Leon Charney's Personal Life
Charney held an honorary title as the Chairman of the University of Haifa in Israel. He was a Jewish cantor. This means he sang during religious services on Sabbaths and Jewish holidays. He sang in places of worship across the United States. He married Tzili Doron, who was born in Israel. They had two twin boys, Mickey and Nati. Charney had strong connections to Israel. His sister, Bryna Blumenreich Dryer, lives in Raanana, Israel, with her children.
Leon Charney passed away on March 21, 2016.
Helping Others: Philanthropy
Leon Charney was a very generous person. In 2003, he gave $10 million to NYU Langone Medical Center. This money helped build a new heart care section at the hospital. He also gave a lot of money to the University of Haifa in Israel. In 2007, he reportedly donated more than $10 million to create the Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences there. This school studies the ocean.
Awards and Honors
Charney received special honorary doctorates for his work in peacemaking. These came from places like the University of Haifa, Yeshiva University, and Florida Atlantic University. He also received awards from many institutions and city governments. These included the City of New York and the City of Bayonne.
In 2016, a special program at Florida Atlantic University was named in his honor. The Leon Charney Diplomacy Program teaches students about negotiation, debate, and solving conflicts. This program has won first place in a national competition three times.
