Feldman, Shimshon Simon

FELDMAN, SHIMSHON SIMON (1909–1995), leader of the Jewish Ashkenazi community of Mexico. He was born in Skvira, Ukraine, and studied in a talmud torah, and in a Russian public school. His mother died before his 13^th birthday, and in 1924 he immigrated alone to Mexico. During his first years there he worked as a peddler. In 1928 he opened his first shop and brought his father and brothers to Mexico. In the 1930s he prospered and at the end of World War II owned a number of factories. In 1942 he joined the Board of the Ashkenazi Nidhei Isroel congregation. In 1942 he became its president – a position he held for 50 years. In this role he dedicated himself to the strengthening of Jewish education and to the development of Jewish schools, to religious community life, to supplying Jewish and non-Jewish needs, and to giving moral and material support to the State of Israel.