Emmanuel Sella was an Israeli immigrant, military commander, government development official, and New York investment-management executive. After participating in the struggle for Israeli independence and commanding coastal defenses, he founded Amivest Corporation, helped develop Israeli commercial enterprises, and supported Holocaust and Israel-related scholarship through the Emmanuel Sella Family Foundation.
Background
Born in Lithuania in 1925, Emmanuel Sella reached Palestine shortly before the outbreak of World War II after stowing away on a ship. He arrived in Tel Aviv with little more than the names and addresses of relatives sewn into his clothing by his mother. During the period preceding Israeli statehood, he joined an underground organization devoted to Israeli independence. At the age of 23, he was appointed commander of the coastal defenses. After the establishment of Israel, he remained involved in the country’s public and economic development before moving to the United States.
Education
After working in Israel’s Ministry of Labor, Sella received a scholarship to study in the United States. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University and a Master of Arts degree from Harvard University. His American education preceded his move to New York and his subsequent career in investment management.
Career
Sella’s early professional and public life combined military service with state-building work. Before Israeli independence, he served in an underground organization fighting for independence and, at the age of 23, became commander of the coastal defenses. After the state was established, he worked in the development department of Israel’s Ministry of Labor. He later moved to New York and founded Amivest Corporation, an investment-management company. Amivest acquired a seat on the New York Stock Exchange in 1973, and Sella was identified in regulatory and public records as the company’s president and chief executive officer and later as a director. Alongside his American business career, he continued to support Israeli economic development, helping establish Israel’s first supermarket chain and participating in the financing and construction of the Tel Aviv Hilton hotel.
Achievements
Participated in the struggle for Israeli independence and became commander of the coastal defenses at the age of 23.
Founded Amivest Corporation, an investment-management company that acquired a seat on the New York Stock Exchange in 1973.
Helped establish Israel’s first supermarket chain.
Helped finance and build the Tel Aviv Hilton hotel.
Established a family foundation that supported scholarship and public discussion concerning the Holocaust, the birth of Israel, and the contemporary Middle East.
(A biographical work concerning Emmanuel Sella’s life and ...)
1995
Connections
Sella was married to Aviva Sella, and they raised five children. His name was commemorated through the Emmanuel Sella Family Foundation, which supported historical and educational work concerning the Holocaust, the birth of Israel, and the contemporary Middle East.
Spouse:
Aviva Sella
Sella’s wife; after his death, she placed the family’s New York townhouse on the market.
References
Indy in Chelsea: House, Owners Part After Long Affair
Documents Sella’s Lithuanian birth, arrival in Palestine, participation in the struggle for Israeli independence, command of coastal defenses, work in Israel’s Ministry of Labor, education at Syracuse and Harvard, founding of Amivest Corporation, business activities in Israel, family life, and death in 2001.
2002
Emmanuel Sella
Library-authority information connecting Emmanuel Sella with biographical and historical works concerning his life, the Holocaust, Israel, and New York.
