Leonardo Farkas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Leonardo Farkas
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Leonardo Julio Farkas Klein
March 20, 1967 |
| Alma mater | University of Santiago, Chile |
Leonardo Farkas is a businessman and a very generous person from Chile. He was born in Santiago, Chile, on March 20, 1967. His family came from Hungary and had Jewish roots. Leonardo became wealthy from companies that dig for iron in Chile. He is known for helping others, especially through the Chilean Telethon and by supporting people affected by disasters.
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Early Life and Family Roots
Leonardo Farkas Klein was born in Santiago, Chile. His parents were Jewish people from Hungary. They moved to South America in 1939. Leonardo's father, Daniel Farkas, was involved in iron mining in Chile. This mining happened in a special area called the Chilean Iron Belt.
Leonardo studied business administration. He went to the University of Santiago, Chile.
Musical Journey
In the 1980s, Leonardo Farkas moved to the United States. He worked in show business as a piano player. He traveled to cities like Las Vegas, New York, and Miami. He also performed on several cruise ships in the Caribbean.
People called him "The Orchestra Man." He even shared stages with famous artists like Tom Jones and Julio Iglesias. During his performances, he met his wife, Betina Friedman Parker. She was the great-granddaughter of Arthur Winarick, who started the Concord Hotel in New York. They got married there.
When he was 35, Leonardo stopped his music career. He wanted to spend more time with his wife and their three children. He then worked as an exporter and seller of different products. Later, he got into the real estate business in the United States. After that, he started his mining business in Chile.
Considering a Presidential Role
In October 2008, Leonardo Farkas announced something big. He said he was thinking about running for president of Chile. He would have been an independent candidate in the 2009 election. However, on December 5, he decided not to run.
In recent Chilean presidential polls, his name has often appeared. People have shown they would like him to be president. But he has never agreed to run. Between 2019 and 2020, more people started to support him in the polls. By July 2020, he was ranked second for the Chilean presidency.
In 2021, Bloomberg, a global news company, named Leonardo Farkas as one of the 500 most influential Latin Americans. They said he is retired from mining but still important in business and politics. Bloomberg highlighted that Farkas is a great helper. He uses social media to help thousands of Chileans who are struggling.
Helping Others: Philanthropy
Leonardo Farkas is well-known for his generosity. He often appears on the Teletón, which is a big fundraising event in Chile. It raises money for children with disabilities. Farkas has donated huge amounts of money. In 2008, he gave 1 billion pesos, which was about US$2 million. He was the first person to donate such a large amount to this campaign.
Farkas has often criticized wealthy people in Chile. He believes they are not generous enough. He thinks they don't do enough to solve Chile's social problems. He once said that if he became president, "all Chileans would have their own house." This idea of helping many people has made him very popular. However, some business people and politicians have called him a "populist." They think he just wants attention.
During the rescue of the trapped miners in Copiapó, Chile, Farkas helped a lot. He gave $10,000 to each of the 33 rescued miners. He reportedly gave checks to their families. He also set up a special fund to collect more donations for them.
On July 1, 2011, the Mayor of Viña del Mar gave Farkas an award. This was to thank him for his help to the city. On February 7, 2018, Farkas offered a reward of 10 million Chilean pesos. This was for anyone who could find Emmelyn Catalina Cañales Vidal. She was an 11-year-old girl who was kidnapped in Licantén, Chile.
Farkas also supports the March of the Living. This is an annual program for students. It takes them to Poland to learn about the Holocaust. They also learn about how prejudice and hate can start.
A study by the Centro de Filantropía e Inversiones Sociales (Cefis) at the Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez (UAI) looked at giving in Chile. The study said that Farkas encourages others to be generous. He acts like a "conscience" for the business world. He shows a more American way of giving back to society after becoming successful. In Chile, people are not used to showing their donations. But Farkas constantly challenges businesses to help, which is a good thing.
Supporting Jewish Heritage
In 2014, Leonardo Farkas helped the March of the Living remember something important. It was the 70th anniversary of the destruction of Hungarian Jews by the Nazis in 1944. On Holocaust Remembrance Day, a special ceremony was held at Auschwitz-Birkenau. Many Holocaust survivors joined Leonardo Farkas. They helped write the last letters of a Torah scroll. Mr. Farkas donated this Torah to the March of the Living.
Cultural and Religious Donations
In 2014, Leonardo Farkas donated seven newly written Torah scrolls. These scrolls were sent to six different continents: Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America. Over the years, Farkas has given Torahs to the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic Jewish organization. He has also donated them to other Jewish institutions around the world.
See also
In Spanish: Leonardo Farkas para niños
