Ellis Kadoorie
Encyclopedia
Sir Ellis Kadoorie philanthropist and member of the wealthy Baghdadian family that had large business interests in the Far East. His brother was Sir Elly Kadoorie
, and his nephew was Lawrence Kadoorie
. His family were originally Iraq
i Jews from Baghdad
who later migrated to Bombay (Mumbai), India in the mid-eighteenth century.
Ellis Kadoorie arrived in Shanghai
from Bombay in 1880 as an employee of the Sephardi Jewish firm David Sassoon & Sons. Within a few years he had accumulated large sums of money and had gone into business on his own account, with companies in both Shanghai
and Hong Kong
. Over the next two decades, the Kadoorie brothers made their fortunes, achieving success in banking, rubber plantations, electric power utilities and real estate, and gaining a major share-holding in Hong Kong Hotels Limited.
Sir Ellis was knighted in 1917.
In the 1910s Sir Ellis founded several schools in China
and Hong Kong
, among them are Sir Ellis Kadoorie Secondary School - West Kowloon in Hong Kong, and Shanghai Yucai High school
.
Sir Ellis died and was buried in Hong Kong on 24 February 1922. He is buried in the Jewish Cemetery.
According to his testament
, he left £100,000 for the development of education in Palestine. There was great rejoicing in the Zionist Organization; naturally, everyone assumed the money was intended for Jewish education. Herbert Samuel set up a committee to plan how the money would be spent. Only some time later was Kadoorie's will read carefully, and then it turned out that the beneficiary was not specifically the British administration in Palestine but the British government in London and Kadoorie had granted it the choice of whether to invest in Palestine or Iraq. There was no indication in his will that the money was intended to be used for Hebrew education. In the ensuing commotion, Weizmann
managed at least to obtain a decision that the sum be invested in Palestine.
Eventually it was decided to build two separate agricultural schools in Palestine
- The Kadoorie Agricultural High School which was built in the Lower Galilee for the Jewish population, and another agricultural school was built in Tulkarm
for the Arabs.
Elly Kadoorie
Sir Elly Kadoorie , philanthropist and member of the wealthy Baghdadian Family that had large business interests in the Far East. His brother was Sir Ellis Kadoorie, and his sons are sir Lawrence Kadoorie and sir Horace Kadoorie...
, and his nephew was Lawrence Kadoorie
Lawrence Kadoorie, Baron Kadoorie
Sir Lawrence Kadoorie, Baron Kadoorie, CBE was a famous industrialist, hotelier, and philanthropist. His father was Sir Elly Kadoorie, and his uncle, Sir Ellis Kadoorie. His family were originally Mizrahi Jews from Baghdad who later migrated to Bombay , India in the mid-eighteenth century...
. His family were originally Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i Jews from Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
who later migrated to Bombay (Mumbai), India in the mid-eighteenth century.
Ellis Kadoorie arrived in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
from Bombay in 1880 as an employee of the Sephardi Jewish firm David Sassoon & Sons. Within a few years he had accumulated large sums of money and had gone into business on his own account, with companies in both Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
and Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. Over the next two decades, the Kadoorie brothers made their fortunes, achieving success in banking, rubber plantations, electric power utilities and real estate, and gaining a major share-holding in Hong Kong Hotels Limited.
Sir Ellis was knighted in 1917.
In the 1910s Sir Ellis founded several schools in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, among them are Sir Ellis Kadoorie Secondary School - West Kowloon in Hong Kong, and Shanghai Yucai High school
Shanghai Yucai High school
Shanghai Yucai High school is a boarding school located in Shanghai, China. The school was first established as Yuchai College on Fengyang Road, near Xinchang Road in 1901. In 1998, it moved to the current address in Jiading district....
.
Sir Ellis died and was buried in Hong Kong on 24 February 1922. He is buried in the Jewish Cemetery.
According to his testament
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
, he left £100,000 for the development of education in Palestine. There was great rejoicing in the Zionist Organization; naturally, everyone assumed the money was intended for Jewish education. Herbert Samuel set up a committee to plan how the money would be spent. Only some time later was Kadoorie's will read carefully, and then it turned out that the beneficiary was not specifically the British administration in Palestine but the British government in London and Kadoorie had granted it the choice of whether to invest in Palestine or Iraq. There was no indication in his will that the money was intended to be used for Hebrew education. In the ensuing commotion, Weizmann
Chaim Weizmann
Chaim Azriel Weizmann, , was a Zionist leader, President of the Zionist Organization, and the first President of the State of Israel. He was elected on 1 February 1949, and served until his death in 1952....
managed at least to obtain a decision that the sum be invested in Palestine.
Eventually it was decided to build two separate agricultural schools in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
- The Kadoorie Agricultural High School which was built in the Lower Galilee for the Jewish population, and another agricultural school was built in Tulkarm
Tulkarm
Tulkarem or Tulkarm is a Palestinian city in the northern Samarian mountain range in the Tulkarm Governorate in the extreme northwestern West Bank adjacent to the Netanya and Haifa districts to the west, the Nablus and Jenin Districts to the east...
for the Arabs.