Bernard Rapoport, Democratic Donor, Dies
Bernard Rapoport, a major backer of Bill Clinton and of Democrats, has died.
B. Rapoport, as he was known, died Thursday night in Waco, in his native Texas, the Texas Tribune reported. He was 94.
Rapoport, who made his fortune in the insurance industry, was close to the Clintons and a major backer of the National Jewish Democratic Council.
The child of Russian Jewish immigrants to San Antonio, he cited his father’s experiences in Tzarist Russia as well as the anti-Semitism and racism he witnessed in his own youth in explaining his progressive politics.
He donated $46 million in 1987 to start the Bernard and Audre Rapoport Foundation, which focuses on educational, healthcare and cultural programs that benefit youth, principally in the Waco area. The Rapoports recently celebrated a 70th wedding anniversary.
“B was such an ardent and fierce liberal, and proud of it – very much a product of his progressive Jewish roots,” NJDC President David Harris said in a statement. “It was this background of Jewish values that led him to be a kingmaker within the Democratic Party, sitting with presidents, senators and representatives alike. And it was these same Jewish values that drove him to be so profoundly generous philanthropically – and to return to committed Jewish ritual practice later in life.”
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30
