Jose Ventura, a leader of the Sephardi community has died at the age of 77 after suffering a heart attack. Born in Ruschuk, Bulgaria, he emigrated to Argentina at the age of 29 and became a prosperous textile manufacturer. He was instrumental in helping to establish close ties between the Sephardic and Ashkenazic communities in this country.
During the 1940s, Ventura was an official of B’nai B’rith. After the State of Israel was established in 1948 he succeeded Simon Mirelman as chairman of the United Campaign. As a result of his outstanding work in that post he was elected president of the DAIA. During the last 15 years Ventura dedicated himself to working in Sephardic religious and welfare institutions.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.