Emil Bachrach

Emanuel Maurice "Emil" Bachrach[2] (4 July 1874 – 28 September 1937) was a Russian Jewish-born American entrepreneur and philanthropist in the Philippines.[3]

Emil Bachrach
Born
Emanuel Maurice Bachrach

(1874-07-04)July 4, 1874
Mogilev, Russian Empire (now Belarus)[1]
Died(1937-09-28)September 28, 1937
Commonwealth of the Philippines
NationalityAmerican
OccupationEntrepreneur and philanthropist
Spouse(s)Mary McDonald
ChildrenNiece-Minna Levine-Gaberman

Career

Emil arrived in the United States from Russia at the age of 18. Soon after, in 1901, he moved to Manila with around 850 US dollars and started a successful furniture company.[4] Later Emil secured a franchise from Ford Motor Company and started Bachrach Motors Inc,[5] and later still, the Philippine Air Taxi Co (PATCO) in 1930. PATCO was bought by Andrés Soriano in 1939 and two years later merged into Philippine Airlines (PAL), which inherited its license to operate as an airliner. Emil Bachrach was a philanthropist, who supported both Jewish and Christian causes and accommodated Jews fleeing from Nazi Germany.[6][7] He was a major contributor to the building of the Jewish Temple Emil Synagogue.[8][9][10]

Bachrach met Mary McDonald in 1916, who was another American expatriate who owned and managed landmark hotels in Baguio, such as the Nevada Hotel and Pines Hotel, as well as Delmonico Hotel in Manila. After a short courtship the two married, and Mary not only became a loving wife to Bachrach, but also became an invaluable business partner. Emil and Mary were close to her sister Annie’s daughter, Minna Levine. Minna’s father was Hyman M. Levine. would later marry another influential White Russian immigrant Bernard Gaberman. They had two children Mari Gaberman and Earl "Butch" Gaberman.[11]

Bachrach was also instrumental in the establishment of the Commonwealth's Bureau of Aeronautics which would be the precursor of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, as he was appointed by the Governor-General Dwight F. Davis as a member of a committee which studied the potential for civil aviation around the archipelago. The committee recommended the creation of the Bureau under the Department of Commerce and Industry, the adaption of United States air traffic regulations, and the establishment of airports and airfields around the country.[12]

During World War 2, the widow of Bachrach, Mary McDonald, had to surrender their residence Casa Blanca or also known as the Bachrach Mansion along Manga Ave., cor Buenos Aires St., in Santa Mesa, Manila, as it was commandeered by Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita upon his assignment in the Philippines on October 1944. After the Battle of Manila Gen. Douglas MacArthur and his family took up residence in the said mansion.[13] After the war, Mary Bachrach moved to the United States,[11] and the mansion was acquired by Club Filipino and was inaugurated by President Ramon Magsaysay on September 21, 1956.[14]

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References
  1. "Film # 007784709 Image Film # 007784709; ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSMR-H75L-4 — FamilySearch.org". Retrieved August 11, 2018.
  2. Ephraim, Frank (October 2010). Escape to Manila: FROM NAZI TYRANNY TO JAPANESE TERROR. ISBN 9780252091117.
  3. Friedfeld, L.; Metoudi, Philippe (2015-07-31). Israel and China: From Silk Road to Innovation Highway. ISBN 9781482851601.
  4. Article on Emil Bachrach from the Lou Gopal website
  5. Ragodon, Wilhelm (24 May 2018). "What were the first car dealerships in the Philippines?". TopGear.ph. TopGear Philippines. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  6. "Jacques Lipetz". Remember.org. Retrieved 2010-07-31.
  7. "Proposed Hugo and Ilse Learmer Story". Monmouth.army.mil. Archived from the original on 2010-07-03. Retrieved 2010-07-31.
  8. and China: From Silk Road to Innovation Highway
  9. Asian Jewish Life website
  10. "Bonnie Harris" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-07-31.
  11. Gopal, Lou (24 September 2015). "Emil Bachrach – Bachrach Motors". Manila Nostalgia. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  12. Hartendorp, A.V.H. "News of the World, Philippine Magazine: May 15 – June 14, 1931". The Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. News of the World. Philippine Magazine. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  13. Manchester, William (1978). American Caesar : Douglas MacArthur, 1880-1964 (1st ed.). Little, Brown. pp. 424-425. ISBN 978-0-316-54498-6.
  14. "Official Month in Review: September 16 – September 30, 1956". The Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. Office of the President. Retrieved 5 May 2020.

Further reading

Bibliography
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