Jonathan-Raphaël Bisschoffsheim

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Jonathan-Raphaël Bischoffsheim (26 April 1808, Mainz - 5 February 1883, Brussels) was a Belgian banker, businessman and philantropist. He descended from a Jewish family, and was endowed with an exceptional European network. On 11 June 1832, he married Henriette Goldschmidt in Brussels, and together they had 4 children: Claire (Clara) (1832-1899), Ferdinand Raphael (1837-?), Regine (1834-?), and Hortense Henriette (1843-1901).

[edit] Career

In 1827, he co-founded the bank of Bischoffsheim & Goldschmidt. He played an important role for the finances and the institutions during the early years of Belgian independence. Bisschoffsheim was a Director of the Banque de Belgique and was one of the founders of the National Bank of Belgium, the regional tramways and managed the Communal Credit (Dutch Gemeentekrediet, French: Credit Communal) and the Caisse Generale d'Epargne et de Retraite (CGER or ASLK). Together with his brother he founded a predecessor of the Paribas bank. From 1862 till 1883 he was also a Liberal member of the Belgian Parliament, and as such was influential in the development of the public education network.

[edit] Sources

• Youssef Cassis, Capitals of Capital, A History of International Financial Centres, 1780–2005, Université de Genève, ISBN 0521845351
• The jewish community of Belgium - Jewish figures of note
• From The Restauration To the Third Republic (Origins of Paribas)
• Meeuwissen, Eric. Richesse oblige. La Belle Epoque des Grandes Fortunes. Préface de Jean Stengers, Brussels, Editions Racine, 1999, p. 315-318.
• The Jewish Encyclopedia
• Cilli Kasper-Holtkotte, Im Westen neues: Migration und ihre Folgen: Deutsche Juden als Pioniere jüdischen Lebens in Belgien, 18./19. Jahrhundert, BRILL, 2003.