Hershey Friedman
Hershey Friedman | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth year and age Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, philanthropist |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Known for | Business interests in plastics packaging, kosher meat production, real estate development, Jewish literature publication |
Hershey Friedman (born 1950) is a Canadian billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist. His business interests span across plastics packaging, kosher meat production in North America, upscale real estate development, and the publication of Jewish literature in Israel.
Early life
Friedman was born in 1950 in Montreal, Quebec, to Yisroel D. and Elza Friedman, who operated a textile enterprise. When he was ten years old, his father became paralyzed due to a car accident. He has two siblings.
Raised within the Orthodox Jewish tradition, Friedman studied at Yeshivas Ner Yisroel near Baltimore and Beit Shraga in Monsey, New York. He later pursued legal and accounting studies in Montreal.
Career
Friedman's professional journey began in his family’s textile business. In 1982, he purchased a plastics packaging firm which, by 2014, had grown to become North America's largest packaging manufacturer. This company served prominent clients including Hershey’s, Pepsi, Nestle, Entenmann’s, and McCain’s, and ranked among the leading producers of bread bags.
From 2009 to 2011, Friedman acquired Azorim, a luxury real estate development company in Israel previously owned by Shaya Boymelgreen. Azorim was responsible for constructing the Beeri-Nehardea Tower and had initiated plans for the Elite Tower project before it was halted.
In 2009, he took ownership of Agriprocessors, a kosher meat company based in Iowa, renaming it Agri Star Meat and Poultry. This enterprise employs solely E-Verified personnel.
Additionally, Friedman holds co-ownership in Dun & Bradstreet Fourier, an organization specializing in scientific education solutions, as well as CVD, a development company.
He is widely acknowledged as a billionaire businessman with diverse holdings across both North America and Israel.
Philanthropy
Friedman is known for his philanthropic efforts supporting hospitals, yeshivas, and various charitable organizations. He has made significant investments in publishing key Jewish religious texts and acts as the principal sponsor of the Babylonian Talmud (Vilna Edition Shas), Jerusalem Talmud, Shulchan Aruch, and Mishna Berura editions produced by the Oz Vehadar institute—collectively referred to as the 'Friedman edition.' The production of the Babylonian Talmud alone involved an expenditure exceeding $20 million.
In 2023, he expanded his charitable activities by offering fully furnished apartments through Azorim to those displaced by the southern Israel conflict at no cost. Furthermore, his Agri Star meat company provided kosher shelf-stable food supplies to soldiers stationed on the front lines, reflecting his dedication to humanitarian support and the Jewish community.
Personal life
Since 1975, Friedman has been married to Raisy Stuhl. They have six married children who actively participate in his business ventures. He resides primarily in Montreal but spends approximately one week each month in Israel.