The man whose name is enshrined on buildings, foundations and generous scholarships believed in giving as a way of life. Dr. Leonard Polonsky (1927–2025) was a successful entrepreneur who became an influential philanthropist in Israel and around the world. Beyond those achievements, he was a man whose cultural, educational and social heritage were shaped by his personal life and beliefs. This is the story of a man who never forgot his humble roots and managed to get closures during his long and meaningful life. This article was written following an interview with Marc Polonsky, Dr. Leonard Polonsky’s son and one of the heads of the Polonsky Foundation’s Board of Trustees.

From Brooklyn to Paris: Beginnings

Leonard Polonsky, who was born in 1927 in Brooklyn, New York, to a modest Jewish family, was the oldest of three sons. His father had a small tobacco shop and his mother was a homemaker. The family’s limited resources notwithstanding, Leonard demonstrated outstanding academic abilities, which led him to the experimental Townsend Harris High School in Queens—a unique educational institution where innovative pedagogical approaches were tested. In that school, which gave its students broad freedom to nourish their curiosity, Leonard began to develop his love for knowledge and research. He spent many hours in the New York Public Library, which would one day become one of the most important projects of his philanthropic enterprise. As a student, he was required to take a new version of the Ephebic Oath (the oath required of young Athenians in their training as soldiers and citizens): “My city I will not leave a diminished heritage but greater and better than when I received it, single-handed or with the support of all.” These words, which Leonard viewed as a commitment to the community and society at large, became a guiding principle in his professional and personal life.

When he was 18, during World War II, he graduated from New York University and joined the U.S. Army, where he served for a year and a half. After the war, thanks to the GI bill, he was eligible for a free college education—an opportunity that changed his life and made his dream come true. His academic journey took him to Europe: He studied for a BA at Oxford University in England and continued to earn a PhD in the same field from the Sorbonne in France. He arrived there with Beata, his first love from their childhood neighborhood in Brooklyn, who had received a scholarship to study art in Paris. After their studies, the couple settled in Heidelberg, Germany, where they worked as teachers: He taught literature and English, and she taught art. Then they moved to Rome. Leonard wanted to continue his academic career but lacked the necessary resources and so had to seek temporary work in a different field. And here is where fate intervened: He turned to selling mutual funds. That was his first step in the business world and marked the beginning of the impressive career that was to come.

Imagining a better world

In London, where Leonard and his wife settled and expanded their family, he set up his own insurance business. The most important thing for him and his business was his staff: For him, “a company that is like a family” was not a corporate cliché but a guiding principle. Despite ups and downs, the business survived and thrived, until its official and festive IPO in London in 2006. Even before the important IPO he had begun supporting entities he believed in, but from that moment on he was able to invest larger resources in projects close to his heart and through which he could imagine a better world.

Dr. Polonsky’s philanthropic enterprises were not chosen at random: A direct line ran from each one to his values. Judaism and the connection with Israel were part of his identity. His wife had family in Israel and that is where his sons’ bar mitzvahs were celebrated. Following his visits to Israel, Dr. Polonsky made connections with people from related fields of interest. Thus, the connection with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem led to a deep friendship with Prof. Gabriel Motzkin that would evolve into establishing the project of his life—the Polonsky Academy.

The Polonsky Academy for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences, which operates as part of the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, embodies his vision for a place that allows outstanding young researchers from all over the world to flourish. In this unique framework, postdoctoral fellowships are awarded for research in various fields, encouraging collaboration within the diverse academic community. The building that hosts the Academy is not only a research center; it is also an architectural masterpiece that has received recognition thanks to its novel design and the environmental sustainability it represents.

The Academy is not the only institution Dr. Polonsky supported. He also donated to the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design’s Department of Industrial Design. He was excited by the discipline’s integration of art and practicality and by its ability to generate change and improve human life. This project, as well, was born from a personal relationship, this time with department head Prof. Ezri Tarazi, whose vision and abilities Dr. Polonsky appreciated deeply.

What distinguished Dr. Polonsky from other philanthropists was his genuine deep interest in the people he supported. The literal meaning of “philanthropy” is love of humankind, and that definition accurately reflected his motivation. The scholarships he gave students from the Ethiopian community at the Hebrew University and the University of Haifa always came with a genuine interest in their well-being and a search for additional ways to help them. He asked for frequent updates on the personal and professional development of the Polonsky fellows: not as a demand but out of true human curiosity, as a source of inspiration, and in the best Jewish tradition—to delight in their progress. He viewed providing opportunities to others as a real mission, and their success motivated him to continue.

Getting closures

It is easy to see the direct connection between Dr. Polonsky’s childhood and his philanthropy later in his life. The library where he discovered new worlds as a boy became the place where he initiated its most popular exhibit: a display of rare artifacts from a collection of 56 million items, which exposed the public to treasures of knowledge that had previously been hidden away. The scholarship that changed his life after his military service gave rise to his support for scholarships for students from diverse backgrounds and the establishment of the Polonsky Academy. His love of theater and literature, especially the works of Shakespeare, led to the establishment of the Shakespeare Center in Brooklyn, his place of birth.

Not many have the privilege of both giving back and living to see the fruit of their labor. Dr. Polonsky, who was blessed with a long life, had both.

In a letter he wrote to Prof. Motzkin, the head of the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute at the time, a year and a half after the Academy opened, he expressed his awe at the project’s development: “We've come a long way since our modest but instructive efforts years ago at the Hebrew University. The Academy would not have happened without your imaginative commitment and our early experience together. I look forward to the time when the building is full of people from many parts of the world, whose academic careers and circle of friends will be enriched by their years at our Academy in Jerusalem.” These words reflect not only his humility but also his deep faith in the value of friendship and cooperation. For him, the academic careers and the friendships created were of equal value and importance.

Even in his late seventies, after his second marriage, Dr. Polonsky did not rest on his laurels. He went back to his native city of New York, obtained a student visa and began studying for a second PhD in literature. Like a full-time student, he worked on his papers and exams and strove to get high grades (and succeeded). Meanwhile, despite his age, he continued to attend the board meetings of the foundation he had created. Contact with people was very important to him, and he was involved in that project until the last minute. If we remember the Ephebic Oath of his childhood, which he repeated many times in speeches he made and conversations he had throughout his life, it can definitely be said that Dr. Leonard Polonsky did not leave his “city” a diminished heritage, but rather a much, much bigger and richer one.