Dr. George Halpern, veteran Zionist, honorary chairman of the Bank Leumi, Israel’s largest bank, and a founder and director of the Migdal Insurance Company, died here today at the age of 83. He was one of the founders of the Keren Hayesod, the Israel Foundation Fund.
Born in Russia, Dr. Halpern became active in Zionist affairs and attended every Zionist Congress after the first. A close associate of the late Israeli President Chaim Weizmann, he was general director of the Anglo-Palestine Bank in London (the forerunner of Bank Leumi) before emigrating to Palestine in 1933. He was also a member of the World Zionist Actions Committee.
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