Jacob Rothschild, who worked ‘always’ for Israel, Jews, Britain, dies at 87

Lord Jacob Rothschild, a member of the famous Jewish banking family, died on Monday.

“With his passing, we bid farewell to a great man who carried the historic legacy of his family with pride and humility, working always for the wellbeing of Britain, Israel, and Jewish communities all over the world,” stated Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

Yad HaNadiv, an Israel-based Rothschild family foundation, “saw the construction of two jewels in the crown of Jerusalem—the magnificent Supreme Court building, and the beautiful new National Library, which he sadly did not live to visit,” Herzog added.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews, which has represented the Jewish community since 1760, said that Rothschild was “a giant of Britain’s business and philanthropic worlds, whose positive contribution to so many aspects of British life was incalculable.”

The Rothschild family released a statement calling the late baron “a towering presence in many peoples’ lives,” the BBC reported.

It also called him “a superbly accomplished financier, a champion of the arts and culture, a devoted public servant, a passionate supporter of charitable causes in Israel and Jewish culture, a keen environmentalist and much-loved friend, father and grandfather.”

The National Portrait Gallery in London displays a 1989 portrait of the late baron by the late British Jewish artist Lucian Freud, a grandson of Sigmund Freud.