Stanley Fischer

Stanley Fischer (1943 - 1925), born in Zambia, was an active member of Habonim from age 13 when his family moved to Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe).  He served as a madrich and participated in the 1960 Hadracha Course in Israel, then studied at the Hebrew Ulpan on Kibbutz Ma'agan Michael.  He intended to study chemistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, but instead studied economics at LSE.

Fischer taught at the University of Chicago and MIT, becoming Chief Economist of the World Bank, President of Citigroup International, and from 2005, Governor of the Bank of Israel.  Under his leadership Israel’s central bank was ranked first in the world for its efficient functioning, and he was widely renowned for his handling of the Israeli economy during the 2008 global financial crisis. In 2014, President Barack Obama nominated Fischer as Vice-Chair of the US Federal Reserve, saying he brought "decades of leadership and expertise from various roles, including serving at the International Monetary Fund and the Bank of Israel."

Stan treasured the memories of his machanot at Leaches Bay and the many lifelong friends he met in Habonim, including his wife Rhoda Keet.  Habonim friends describe him as humble and friendly, very easy to talk to, with a dry sense of humour, but totally dedicated to his work and never wasting a minute in an unproductive way. Habonim nurtured his deep love of Israel and of peace, his passion for doing good in the world through economics, and his commitment to taking the world and his work seriously without being self-serious.