CONSTANTINER, JAIME

CONSTANTINER, JAIME (1918–2002), leader of the Jewish community of Mexico and generous promoter of Jewish education in Mexico and in Israel. Born in Butrimonys (Butrimanz), Lithuania, Constantiner studied in the gymnasium in Kovno (Kaunas). Owing to economic difficulties in 1928 his father immigrated to Mexico, where Constantiner and his mother joined him in 1934. Ten years after his settlement in Mexico City he graduated in surgery at the faculty of medicine of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (unam). After completing his postgraduate studies in the United States, he was appointed professor at the unam and taught there until 1979.

During the 1940s Constantiner commenced his activities in the Jewish community as a physician in the field of welfare as well as in education, supporting the Hebrew Tarbut school. As the chairman of its patronato, he promoted special enrichment programs together with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the introduction of many new science and Hebrew courses in the Tarbut school.

He supported the activities of many Israeli and Mexican institutions: Tel Aviv University, the Tel Aviv Museum, the Philharmonic Orchestra of unam, San Carlos Museum, the Technion of Haifa as well as several special projects in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and in the city of Jerusalem. He also supported special programs for Jewish studies in Mexico. He was awarded numerous prizes by Tel Aviv University, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and the city of Jerusalem.

[Efraim Zadoff (2^nd ed.)]