What do Dunkin’ Donuts, Baskin-Robbins, and Häagen-Dazs All Have in Common?

by | Apr 1, 2022 | Jewish in a non-Jewish World

Though they are all scrumptiously delicious snacks, that’s not the answer we’re looking for. Here’s a hint to help you answer the question: William Rosenberg, Burt Baskin, Irv Robbins, Reuben and Rose Mattus. Still stumped? Each of those companies was started by Jews.

Jews have been involved in a variety of industries since time immemorial. Most of us know about Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook) and Steven Spielberg (DreamWorks), and eponymous businesses like Levi Strauss and Estée Lauder, among others. But here are some additional ones which might surprise you.

H&R Block

Founded by the brothers Henry and Richard Bloch, as an accounting and tax firm. They famously chose to spell the company name with a ‘k’ so that people wouldn’t mispronounce it ‘blotch.’ They have an annual revenue of over $3B.

Snapple

Founded by Leonard Marsh, his brother-in-law Hyman Golden, and Marsh’s high school classmate, Arnold Greenberg. Known for their juices and iced teas, the name Snapple is a portmanteau of “snappy” and “apple.” Snapple’s annual revenue is over $6B.

SlimFast

founded by Sim Daniel Abraham, was a product line in his company Thompson Medical. They continue to produce dietary supplements and weight loss products.

Hasbro

Founded by brothers Herman, Hillel, and Henry Hassenfeld, first as a textile company, then producing school supplies, and finally manufacturing toys. Their first success, in 1954, was Mr. Potato Head. Today, they have an annual revenue of nearly $2B.

Jordache

Founded by Yosef “Joe” Nakash, an Israeli living in the USA since the 1960s. He brought over his brothers Ralph and Avi, and using a combination of their first names and a variant spelling of their surname as Naccache, created the brand Jordache. They began selling irregulars, and then quickly moved to designer jeans.

Carnival Cruise Lines

was founded by Ted Arison, an Israeli who fought in the 1948 War of Independence, and subsequently moved to the United States in the 1950s, though he returned to live in Israel in 1990. A well-known philanthropist, his daughter Shari continued in his ways after his death, both as owner of his investment company and as chair of the Ted Arison Family Foundation.

Shari, by the way, is the wealthiest woman in the Middle East, according to Forbes, and ranks 4th overall in Israel. Carnival’s annual revenue in non-Covid years is approximately $20B.

The Topps Company Inc.

Formerly owned by the Shorin brothers, who had inherited the penny candy business from their father, Morris. His grandson Arthur Shorin is the current Chairman of the Board. Topps is known for its Bazooka Bubble Gum and its iconic comic Bazooka Joe.

Obviously, most companies in Israel are Jewish founded and owned. According to Israel21c, of note, though, while only about 18 percent of all directors in Israeli public companies are female, women do account for about half of the top-tier managers in major firms. And though a mere 5% of Israeli companies are chaired by women, that is twice as many as in the United States.

Some Jewish women in key positions in today’s hi-tech world include:

Ruth Porat

Senior Vice President and CFO of Alphabet, the parent company of Google, she was previously the CFO at Morgan Stanley. Though born in the UK and raised in the USA, her parents had lived in pre-state Israel, and her father fought in Israel’s War of Independence.

Susan Wojcicki 

CEO of YouTube, she was originally one of the founders of Google. Her sister, Anne Wojcicki, is the founder of the genealogy and genetic testing company, 23andMe.

Karin Eibschitz-Segal

Vice President of the Intel Design Engineering Group and General Manager of Intel Validation Engineering section, managing a staff of over 10,000 worldwide. She is Israeli, and based in Israel as well, she oversees the quality of Intel’s production line.

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