Leonardo Farkas Facts for Kids

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal family name is Farkas and the second or maternal family name is Klein.

Quick facts for kids Leonardo Farkas

Born	Leonardo Julio Farkas Klein (1967-03-20) March 20, 1967 (age 58) Santiago, Chile
Alma mater	University of Santiago, Chile

Leonardo Julio Farkas Klein (born March 20, 1967) is a well-known Chilean businessman and a person who loves to help others. He was born in Santiago, Chile. His family came from Hungary and were Jewish. He made his money from mining companies.

Leonardo Farkas is famous for his charity work. He helps with the Chilean Telethon, which raises money for children with disabilities. He also helps people affected by disasters or those who are in tough situations.

Early Life

Leonardo Farkas's parents were Jewish people from Hungary. They moved to South America in 1939.

Farkas studied business at the University of Santiago, Chile.

Music Career

In the 1980s, Leonardo Farkas moved to the United States. He worked in music and entertainment, playing the piano. He traveled to cities like Las Vegas, New York, and Miami. He also performed on many cruise ships in the Caribbean.

People knew him as "The Orchestra Man." He even shared stages with famous singers like Tom Jones and Julio Iglesias.

While performing, he met his wife, Betina Friedman Parker. Her great-grandfather, Arthur Winarick, started the Concord Hotel in New York. Leonardo and Betina got married there.

When he was 35, he stopped his music career. He wanted to focus on 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.

Thinking About Being President

In October 2008, Farkas said he was thinking about running for president of Chile. He wanted to be an independent candidate in the 2009 presidential election. However, on December 5, he announced he would not run.

A mural about Farkas possibly running for president, near the Mapocho River in Santiago, 2008.

In recent Chilean presidential elections, people often mentioned him as a top choice in polls. But he has never agreed to run for president. Between 2019 and 2020, more people supported Farkas in the polls. In July 2020, he was even in second place for the Chilean presidency.

In 2021, Bloomberg, a big international news company, named Leonardo Farkas as one of the 500 most influential people in Latin America. They said that even though he is retired from mining, he is still important in business and politics. Bloomberg highlighted that Farkas is mostly a philanthropist. He uses social media to help thousands of Chileans who are struggling with poverty.

Helping Others: Philanthropy

Leonardo Farkas is well-known for his generous donations. He often appears in the Teletón, which is a big event in Chile. It raises money for children with disabilities. Farkas has given huge amounts of money to this campaign.

In 2008, he donated 1 billion pesos (about US$2 million). He was the first person to give such a large amount to the Telethon.

Farkas has also spoken out about wealthy people in Chile. He believes they should do more to help solve the country's social problems. He once said that if he were president, "all Chileans would have their own house." This idea of helping ordinary people has made him very popular. However, some business people and politicians have criticized him. They sometimes call him a "populist" who 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 and started a special fund for more donations.

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.

In 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 a program that takes students to Poland. They learn about the Holocaust and how to fight against prejudice and hate.

A study by the Centro de Filantropía e Inversiones Sociales (Cefis) at the Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez (UAI) looked at charity in Chile. It said that Farkas encourages others to give. He shows a different way for successful business people to give back to society. The study noted that Farkas constantly challenges the business world to be more involved in helping others.

Support for March Of The Living

In 2014, Leonardo Farkas helped the March of the Living mark an important anniversary. It was 70 years since many Hungarian Jews were killed by the Nazis in 1944. This happened during World War II.

On Holocaust Remembrance Day, a special ceremony took place 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 Donations

In 2014, Leonardo Farkas donated seven newly written Sefer Torah scrolls. These special scrolls were sent to six different continents: Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America.

Over the years, Farkas has given Sefer Torahs to the Chabad-Lubavitch Jewish organization. He has also donated them to other Jewish institutions around the world.