Born in 1922 to a family of immigrants from Ukraine, Bruce (Baruch) Rappaport served in the British army and the Israel Defense Forces and was one of the founders of the Israeli Military Police. In his capacity as a lawyer, he helped found the Israeli Military Advocate General and even served as a military judge. After graduating from law school in 1953, he went into business, first founding a small company, Inter-Maritime (International Maritime Supplies), which initially traded in ships’ supplies and later expanded to the leasing of ships. His big break in business came when he won tender to ship oil from Indonesia, leasing a fleet of 20 tankers. From that point, his business crossed an increasing number of borders into Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and more. He later expanded his business into banking, as well as oil exploration and manufacture.
Bruce, together with his wife Ruth, had a unique ability to combine his tremendous success in business with a love for culture and art and with a strong sense of social responsibility. With these great attributes, they devoted themselves to the promotion of culture, science, health and education for the betterment of humanity.
He is famously quoted as saying, "I am God’s treasurer," reflecting his benevolence and deep commitment to the pursuit of improving the human condition.