Marc Moshavitz: Israeli Industrialist and Leader

Biography

Moshavitz was born in 1920 in Rostov, part of the Soviet Union, to David Moshavitz and Paulina nee Pevzner. At the age of 20, he immigrated to Israel. He studied chemistry at the University of Cambridge.

In 1941, he joined the management team of "Elite," a company co-founded by his father. Together with his partner in running the company, Abba Fromchenko, he was responsible for developing and transforming Elite into one of the largest conglomerates in Israel. In 1955, Elite decided to produce instant coffee in Israel for the first time.

Until then, instant coffee was only available abroad and was not imported to Israel. The company established a coffee plant in Safed, with the knowledge provided by a Jewish American instant coffee manufacturer. Fromchenko was the engineer and the executor of this new initiative, while Moshavitz was responsible for marketing and promoting the product.

In 1961, Moshavitz was appointed as the chairman of the board of directors of "Elite."

Starting in 1959, he held key positions in the Manufacturers Association of Israel, including chairman of the export committee, chairman of the food division, and chairman of the working committee.

From 1964 to 1969, he served as the chairman of the Israeli Export Institute. In 1964, he was elected as the chairman of the board of directors of an Israeli bank for industry.

In 1969, he was elected as the president of the Manufacturers Association of Israel, and he held this position until 1975. During his tenure, he engaged in negotiations over working conditions with the Secretary-General of the Histadrut, Yitzhak Ben-Aharon. Among other things, they negotiated the conditions of the "Package Deal" between the government, the Histadrut, and employers.

In 1979, he was elected as the chairman of the board of directors of the Labor Bank. In that year, he was also among the founders of the "Danot" holding company and was appointed as its chairman of the board of directors. In 1984, "Danot" encountered economic difficulties, and in 1985, it went into liquidation.

In 1989, he was elected as the chairman of the board of directors of the International Bank.

In 1983, he received the "Industry Prize."

Marc Moshavitz passed away in March 1995 and was buried in the Kiryat Shaul cemetery.

Personal Life

Marc Moshavitz married Yehudit Moshavitz. Their son, David Moshavitz, served as the CEO and chairman of the board of directors of "Elite."

Another son, Danny Moshavitz, tragically lost his life in a plane accident in April 1971, leaving behind a son and a daughter. A neighborhood in Petah Tikva was named "Beit Danny" in his honor.

Legacy

A street in Rishon LeZion is named after Marc Moshavitz in his honor.