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|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/11/05/metro/hero-workers-after-malden-mills-fire-aaron-m-feuerstein-dies-95
|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/11/05/metro/hero-workers-after-malden-mills-fire-aaron-m-feuerstein-dies-95
|title=A hero to workers after Malden Mills fire, Aaron Feuerstein dies at 95
|title=A hero to workers after Malden Mills fire, Aaron Feuerstein dies at 95
|newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |date=November 5, 2021</ref>
|newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |date=November 5, 2021}}</ref>
{{marriage|Louise Feuerstein|end=her death|1988|2013}}<ref name="LOUISEOBIT">McKenna, Kathleen, <ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/09/25/louise-feuerstein-worked-with-husband-rebuild-malden-mills-after-fire/y6QUSbWcsE7FAXIOuXjBYJ/story.html
{{marriage|Louise Feuerstein|end=her death|1988|2013}}<ref name="LOUISEOBIT">McKenna, Kathleen, <ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/09/25/louise-feuerstein-worked-with-husband-rebuild-malden-mills-after-fire/y6QUSbWcsE7FAXIOuXjBYJ/story.html
|title=Louise Feuerstein, 76; worked with husband to rebuild Malden Mills
|title=Louise Feuerstein, 76; worked with husband to rebuild Malden Mills
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|date=September 14, 2003}}</ref>
|date=September 14, 2003}}</ref>
| parents = Samuel (father)<ref name="GLOBE2003"/>
| parents = Samuel (father)<ref name="GLOBE2003"/>
| relatives = Rabbi Moses Feuerstein (brother)<ref name="OU">Karasick, Joseph, Rabbi [https://www.ou.org/index.php/news/article/51379/ "Obituary of Rabbi Moses Feuerstein"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130303011851/https://www.ou.org/index.php/news/article/51379/ |date=March 3, 2013 }}, ''Orthodox Union News'', March 18, 2009</ref>
| relatives = Rabbi Moses Feuerstein (brother)<ref name="OU">{{cite web
|author=Karasick, Joseph, Rabbi
|url=https://www.ou.org/index.php/news/article/51379
|title=Obituary of Rabbi Moses Feuerstein
{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130303011851/https://www.ou.org/index.php/news/article/51379
|date=March 3, 2013 }} |publisher=[[Orthodox Union]] OU News
|date=March 18, 2009}}</ref>
}}
}}
'''Aaron Mordechai Feuerstein''' (December 11, 1925 – November 4, 2021)
'''Aaron Mordechai Feuerstein''' (December 11, 1925 – November 4, 2021)
<ref name=AMFeuersteinnytObit/> was an American industrialist, philanthropist, and the third-generation owner<ref name=FeurLoftsBizj2012/><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20040222041157/http://www.maldenmills.com/about/promise.php Polartec: Polartec® Promise]</ref> and [[CEO]] of [[Malden Mills]] in [[Lawrence, Massachusetts]]. Some remember him as “The mensch who saved Christmas”<ref name=FeurLoftsBizj2012>{{cite news |newspaper=[[BizJournals]].com (Boston)
<ref name=AMFeuersteinnytObit/> was an American industrialist, philanthropist, and the third-generation owner<ref name=FeurLoftsBizj2012/><ref>
{{cite web |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040222041157/http://www.maldenmills.com/about/promise.php
|title=Polartec: Polartec Promise}}</ref> and [[CEO]] of [[Malden Mills]] in [[Lawrence, Massachusetts]]. Some remember him as “The mensch who saved Christmas”<ref name=FeurLoftsBizj2012>{{cite news |newspaper=[[BizJournals]].com (Boston)
|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/real_estate/2012/11/lofts-debut-at-historic-malden-mills.html
|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/real_estate/2012/11/lofts-debut-at-historic-malden-mills.html
|title=Lofts debut at historic Malden Mills in Lawrence
|title=Lofts debut at historic Malden Mills in Lawrence
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==Early life and education==
==Early life and education==
Feuerstein, a Jew, was born in [[Brookline, Massachusetts]], on December 11, 1925.<ref>
⚫
Feuerstein, a Jew, was born in [[Brookline, Massachusetts]], on December 11, 1925.<ref>Vaughn, Susan [http://articles.latimes.com/1997/nov/03/business/fi-49856 Firms Find Long-Term Rewards in Doing Good], ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', November 3, 1997. Accessed February 25, 2013.</ref><ref>[https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Forbes_Great_Success_Stories/WaK4AAAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=aaron+feuerstein+born+1925&dq=aaron+feuerstein+born+1925&printsec=frontcover Forbes Great Success Stories: Twelve Tales of Victory Wrested from Defeat (2000), pg. 12]</ref> He attended [[Boston Latin School]] and graduated from [[Yeshiva University]] in 1947, majoring in English and [[philosophy]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://huc.edu/news/2007/06/04/aaron-feuerstein-founder-chair-ceo-malden-mills-awarded-honorary-doctor-humane|title = Aaron Feuerstein, Founder, Chair, CEO, Malden Mills, awarded Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters Degree at Graduation Ceremonies in New York}}</ref><ref>

{{cite news
|author=Vaughn, Susan
|url=http://articles.latimes.com/1997/nov/03/business/fi-49856
|title=Firms Find Long-Term Rewards in Doing Good
|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]
|date=November 3, 1997 |access-date=February 25, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
|url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Forbes_Great_Success_Stories/WaK4AAAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=aaron+feuerstein+born+1925&dq=aaron+feuerstein+born+1925&printsec=frontcover
|title=Forbes Great Success Stories: Twelve Tales of Victory Wrested from Defeat
⚫
|year=2000 |page=12}}</ref> He attended [[Boston Latin School]] and graduated from [[Yeshiva University]] in 1947, majoring in English and [[philosophy]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://huc.edu/news/2007/06/04/aaron-feuerstein-founder-chair-ceo-malden-mills-awarded-honorary-doctor-humane|title = Aaron Feuerstein, Founder, Chair, CEO, Malden Mills, awarded Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters Degree at Graduation Ceremonies in New York}}</ref><ref>
{{cite web| url = http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20102719,00.html| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081202153847/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20102719,00.html| archive-date = 2008-12-02| title = Holding the Line : People.com}}</ref>
{{cite web| url = http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20102719,00.html| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081202153847/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20102719,00.html| archive-date = 2008-12-02| title = Holding the Line : People.com}}</ref>


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==Honors==
==Honors==
An industrialist and philanthropist, for setting the standard for commitment to employees following a devastating fire at his Malden Mills manufacturing plant, he was awarded the [[Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award]] on March 13, 1998.<ref>[http://www.peaceabbey.org/cofc-award/award-recipients/ Courage of Conscience Award Recipients] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140610041225/http://www.peaceabbey.org/cofc-award/award-recipients/ |date=2014-06-10 }}</ref>
An industrialist and philanthropist, for setting the standard for commitment to employees following a devastating fire at his Malden Mills manufacturing plant, he was awarded the [[Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award]] on March 13, 1998.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.peaceabbey.org/cofc-award/award-recipients
|title=Courage of Conscience Award Recipients
{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140610041225/http://www.peaceabbey.org/cofc-award/award-recipients |date=2014-06-10 }}</ref>


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 07:53, 9 January 2023

Aaron Feuerstein
Born(1925-12-11)December 11, 1925
Brookline, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedNovember 4, 2021(2021-11-04) (aged 95)
Brookline, Massachusetts, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Alma materYeshiva University[1]
OccupationBusinessman
Known forCEO Malden Mills, Polartec fabric
Spouse
Marika Rosenbaum
​
(died 1984)​
[2]
Louise Feuerstein
​
​
(m. 1988; died 2013)​
Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).
ParentSamuel (father)[1]
RelativesRabbi Moses Feuerstein (brother)[3]

Aaron Mordechai Feuerstein (December 11, 1925 – November 4, 2021) [4] was an American industrialist, philanthropist, and the third-generation owner[5][6] and CEO of Malden Mills in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Some remember him as “The mensch who saved Christmas”[5] when he publicly said “I am not throwing three thousand people out of work, two weeks before their holiday.” [7]

After a major fire at Young Israel of Brookline, a synagogue founded by his father, Feuerstein donated $1,000,000 to help rebuild.[4]


Early life and education

Feuerstein, a Jew, was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, on December 11, 1925.[8][9] He attended Boston Latin School and graduated from Yeshiva University in 1947, majoring in English and philosophy.[10][11]

Career

When the Malden Mills factory burned down on December 11, 1995, Feuerstein used his insurance money to rebuild it, and to pay the salaries of all the now-unemployed workers while it was being rebuilt. Feuerstein spent millions keeping all 3,000 employees on the payroll with full benefits for ninety days.[12] He came to prominence globally by going against common business practices, especially at a time when many companies were downsizing and moving overseas.[13] "By the end of 1996 the plant was rebuilt."[7]

Feuerstein said that he could not have taken another course of action due to his study of the Talmud and the lessons he learned there:

I have a responsibility to the worker, both blue-collar and white-collar. I have an equal responsibility to the community. It would have been unconscionable to put 3,000 people on the streets and deliver a deathblow to the cities of Lawrence and Methuen. Maybe on paper our company is worth less to Wall Street, but I can tell you it's worth more.

— Parade Magazine, 1996

This cost Feuerstein $25,000,000, his CEO position, and a November 2001 filing of chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company achieved solvency again with the help of creditor generosity and government subsidies. Malden Mills later garnered some lucrative Department of Defense (DOD) contracts for "smart" products that interweave fiber optic cabling, electronic biosensors, and USB ports into polar fleece fabric. Malden Mills was awarded a $16 million DOD contract in 2006.[14] In January 2007, however, Malden Mills filed for bankruptcy again and ended production in July.[15] The company's underfunded (by 49%) pension was abandoned due to sale of corporate assets.[16]

Personal life

Feuerstein was an alumnus of Camp Modin in Belgrade, Maine, and the keynote speaker at the 75th annual reunion in 1997.[citation needed] Feuerstein was also a member of Young Israel of Brookline.[17]

Feuerstein died of pneumonia on November 4, 2021, in a Boston hospital at the age of 95.[18][19][4]

Honors

An industrialist and philanthropist, for setting the standard for commitment to employees following a devastating fire at his Malden Mills manufacturing plant, he was awarded the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award on March 13, 1998.[20]

References

  1. ^ a b Kerber, Ross, "Aaron Feuerstein's labor of love: A throwback to a patrician era fights an uphill battle to regain control of company his grandfather founded". The Boston Globe. September 14, 2003.
  2. ^ Kerber, Ross; Gardizzy, Anissa (November 5, 2021). "A hero to workers after Malden Mills fire, Aaron Feuerstein dies at 95". The Boston Globe.
  3. ^ Karasick, Joseph, Rabbi (March 18, 2009). "Obituary of Rabbi Moses Feuerstein [https://web.archive.org/web/20130303011851/https://www.ou.org/index.php/news/article/51379 Archived] March 3, 2013, at the [[Wayback Machine]][[Category:Webarchive template wayback links]]". Orthodox Union OU News. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help); URL–wikilink conflict (help); line feed character in |title= at position 35 (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ a b c Risen, Clay (November 5, 2021). "Aaron Feuerstein, Mill Owner Who Refused to Leave, Dies at 95". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Thomas Grillo (November 20, 2012). "Lofts debut at historic Malden Mills in Lawrence". BizJournals.com (Boston). Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  6. ^ "Polartec: Polartec Promise".
  7. ^ a b Paysach J. Krohn (2022). The Grandeur of the Maggid. p. 144. ISBN 978-1-4226-3262-8.
  8. ^ Vaughn, Susan (November 3, 1997). "Firms Find Long-Term Rewards in Doing Good". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
  9. ^ Forbes Great Success Stories: Twelve Tales of Victory Wrested from Defeat. 2000. p. 12.
  10. ^ "Aaron Feuerstein, Founder, Chair, CEO, Malden Mills, awarded Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters Degree at Graduation Ceremonies in New York".
  11. ^ "Holding the Line : People.com". Archived from the original on December 2, 2008.
  12. ^ "Aaron Feuerstein dies at 95, paid idled workers after mill fire". FX Empire. November 5, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  13. ^ "Downsizing Prevails as Customers Resist Paying More". The New York Times. November 26, 1996.
  14. ^ "Congress Awards Malden Mills Major Military Contracts for 2006".
  15. ^ Bloomberg News. "Malden Mills Returns to Bankruptcy". January 11, 2007. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
  16. ^ "PBGC Protects Pensions at Malden Mills".
  17. ^ "Despite bankruptcy, former Malden Mills owner glad he saved jobs after historic fire". December 12, 2015.
  18. ^ "A hero to workers after Malden Mills fire, Aaron Feuerstein dies at 95". The Boston Globe. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  19. ^ Kerber, Ross (November 5, 2021). "Aaron Feuerstein dies at 95, paid idled workers after mill fire". Reuters. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  20. ^ {{cite web |url=http://www.peaceabbey.org/cofc-award/award-recipients |title=Courage of Conscience Award Recipients Archived 2014-06-10 at the Wayback Machine

Further reading

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