Eli Hurvitz
Encyclopedia
Eli Hurvitz was an Israel
i industrialist. He was the Chairman of the Board and former CEO of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries
at the time of his death .
. In May 1948, he and his classmates were drafted by the Israel Defense Forces
to fight in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
. In early 1949 he resumed his studies for five months and completed his matriculation (Bagrut
) exams. After graduation, he joined kibbutz Tel Katzir
, where he met Dalia Solomon. In June 1953 they married, and they left the kibbutz
in October.
Hurwitz studied economics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
. He joined Assia Chemical Labs Ltd., a small firm of which Dalia's father was a managing partner, as a dishwasher in the laboratory. After his graduation from Hebrew University in 1957 he began doing office work at Assia and moved to executive ranks. In 1964, Assia merged with Zori and in 1969 acquired a controlling interest in Teva. In 1976, the three firms merged into Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. with Hurvitz as the CEO. He resigned as CEO in 2002 and handed over the position to Israel Makov, and from then on until his death in 2011 had been the firm's Chairman of the Board.
Hurvitz served as chairman of the Israel Export Institute from 1974 to 1978. In 1981 he was made president of the Israel Manufacturers Association, a position he held until 1986. From 1985 to 1986 he headed Shimon Peres
' economic plan to fight the inflation, for which he was awarded the Industry Prize. In 1986 he was appointed chairman of the board of Bank Leumi
. In 1987, he resigned after his name was associated with Israel's bank stock crisis of 1983
.
Hurvitz was chairman of the Jerusalem Development Authority from 1989 to 1992; a member of the Advisory Committee of the Bank of Israel
from 1991 to 1995; director of Koor Industries Ltd. from 1997 to 2004; and director of Magal Security System Ltd. from 1992 to 1994. He also served as chairman of the Executive Committee of the Weizmann Institute of Science
from 1989 to 1995. He has been a member of the board of governors of Tel Aviv University
since 2001, a director of Vishay Technologies since 1997, and chair of the Israel Democracy Institute
since 2002.
In March 1996 he was indicted on charges of a $18 million tax evasion in corporate taxes as head of a Teva subsidiary, Promedico. In 1998 he was convicted by the Jerusalem district court, but was acquitted by the Supreme Court of Israel
in 2000.
in 2004.
In 2002, he received the Israel Prize
, for lifetime achievement and special contribution to society and the State.
In 2005, Hurvitz was named Business Leader of the Decade by Dun & Bradstreet
.
From 2002 to 2005 he served as a member of the International Council of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
. In 2006, Forbes
estimated his wealth at $500 million and listed him as the 30th-richest Israeli.
In 2005, he was voted the 85th-greatest Israeli of all time, in a poll by the Israeli news website Ynet
to determine whom the general public considered the 200 Greatest Israelis. In 2008, he was voted the third-most respected manager in the Israeli market.
In 2011, he received the honorary award of the Ariel University Center of Samaria. Horowitz received the award for his many years of promoting high-tech industry, economy
and society
in israel.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i industrialist. He was the Chairman of the Board and former CEO of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. , is an international pharmaceutical company headquartered in Petah Tikva, Israel. It specializes in generic and proprietary pharmaceuticals and active pharmaceutical ingredients...
at the time of his death .
Biography
Eliyahu (Eli) Hurvitz was born in Jerusalem, in the British Mandate of Palestine, in 1932. In 1934, his family moved to Tel AvivTel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
. In May 1948, he and his classmates were drafted by the Israel Defense Forces
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
to fight in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
1948 Arab-Israeli War
The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...
. In early 1949 he resumed his studies for five months and completed his matriculation (Bagrut
Bagrut
Te'udat Bagrut is the official Israeli matriculation certificate. The bagrut is similar to the British A-levels, German Abitur, French Baccalauréat, and Austrian Matura...
) exams. After graduation, he joined kibbutz Tel Katzir
Tel Katzir
Tel Katzir is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located to the south of the Sea of Galilee, it falls under the jurisdiction of Emek HaYarden Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 202....
, where he met Dalia Solomon. In June 1953 they married, and they left the kibbutz
Kibbutz
A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...
in October.
Hurwitz studied economics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...
. He joined Assia Chemical Labs Ltd., a small firm of which Dalia's father was a managing partner, as a dishwasher in the laboratory. After his graduation from Hebrew University in 1957 he began doing office work at Assia and moved to executive ranks. In 1964, Assia merged with Zori and in 1969 acquired a controlling interest in Teva. In 1976, the three firms merged into Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. with Hurvitz as the CEO. He resigned as CEO in 2002 and handed over the position to Israel Makov, and from then on until his death in 2011 had been the firm's Chairman of the Board.
Hurvitz served as chairman of the Israel Export Institute from 1974 to 1978. In 1981 he was made president of the Israel Manufacturers Association, a position he held until 1986. From 1985 to 1986 he headed Shimon Peres
Shimon Peres
GCMG is the ninth President of the State of Israel. Peres served twice as the eighth Prime Minister of Israel and once as Interim Prime Minister, and has been a member of 12 cabinets in a political career spanning over 66 years...
' economic plan to fight the inflation, for which he was awarded the Industry Prize. In 1986 he was appointed chairman of the board of Bank Leumi
Bank Leumi
Bank Leumi is an Israeli bank. It was founded in London as the Anglo Palestine Company on February 27, 1902, by members of the Zionist movement to promote the industry, construction, agriculture, and infrastructure of Palestine.-History:...
. In 1987, he resigned after his name was associated with Israel's bank stock crisis of 1983
Bank stock crisis (Israel 1983)
The Bank stock crisis was a financial crisis that occurred in Israel in 1983, during which the stocks of the four largest banks in Israel collapsed, and were nationalized by the state.-Background:...
.
Hurvitz was chairman of the Jerusalem Development Authority from 1989 to 1992; a member of the Advisory Committee of the Bank of Israel
Bank of Israel
The Bank of Israel is the central bank of Israel. It is located in Kiryat HaMemshala in Israel's capital city of Jerusalem, with a branch office in Tel Aviv. The current governor is Stanley Fischer.-History:...
from 1991 to 1995; director of Koor Industries Ltd. from 1997 to 2004; and director of Magal Security System Ltd. from 1992 to 1994. He also served as chairman of the Executive Committee of the Weizmann Institute of Science
Weizmann Institute of Science
The Weizmann Institute of Science , known as Machon Weizmann, is a university and research institute in Rehovot, Israel. It differs from other Israeli universities in that it offers only graduate and post-graduate studies in the sciences....
from 1989 to 1995. He has been a member of the board of governors of Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University is a public university located in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel. With nearly 30,000 students, TAU is Israel's largest university.-History:...
since 2001, a director of Vishay Technologies since 1997, and chair of the Israel Democracy Institute
Israel Democracy Institute
The Israel Democracy Institute , established in 1991, is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank in Jerusalem, Israel. -History and goals:...
since 2002.
In March 1996 he was indicted on charges of a $18 million tax evasion in corporate taxes as head of a Teva subsidiary, Promedico. In 1998 he was convicted by the Jerusalem district court, but was acquitted by the Supreme Court of Israel
Supreme Court of Israel
The Supreme Court is at the head of the court system and highest judicial instance in Israel. The Supreme Court sits in Jerusalem.The area of its jurisdiction is all of Israel and the Israeli-occupied territories. A ruling of the Supreme Court is binding upon every court, other than the Supreme...
in 2000.
Awards and honours
Hurvitz received honorary doctorates from the Technion Israel Institute of Technology in 1990, the Weizmann Institute of Science in 1994, Ben-Gurion University in 2002 and Tel Aviv UniversityTel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University is a public university located in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel. With nearly 30,000 students, TAU is Israel's largest university.-History:...
in 2004.
In 2002, he received the Israel Prize
Israel Prize
The Israel Prize is an award handed out by the State of Israel and is largely regarded as the state's highest honor. It is presented annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state ceremony in Jerusalem, in the presence of the President, the Prime Minister, the Knesset chairperson, and the...
, for lifetime achievement and special contribution to society and the State.
In 2005, Hurvitz was named Business Leader of the Decade by Dun & Bradstreet
Dun & Bradstreet
Dun & Bradstreet is a Fortune 500 public company headquartered in Short Hills, New Jersey, USA that provides information on businesses and corporations for use in credit decisions, B2B marketing and supply chain management...
.
From 2002 to 2005 he served as a member of the International Council of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs is a permanent research center located within the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. The center's current director is political scientist Graham T. Allison....
. In 2006, Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
estimated his wealth at $500 million and listed him as the 30th-richest Israeli.
In 2005, he was voted the 85th-greatest Israeli of all time, in a poll by the Israeli news website Ynet
Ynet
Ynet is the most popular Israeli news and general content website. It is owned by the same conglomerate that operates Yediot Ahronot, the country's secondleading daily newspaper...
to determine whom the general public considered the 200 Greatest Israelis. In 2008, he was voted the third-most respected manager in the Israeli market.
In 2011, he received the honorary award of the Ariel University Center of Samaria. Horowitz received the award for his many years of promoting high-tech industry, economy
Economy
An economy consists of the economic system of a country or other area; the labor, capital and land resources; and the manufacturing, trade, distribution, and consumption of goods and services of that area...
and society
Society
A society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations...
in israel.
See also
- List of Israel Prize recipients