Background
Gindi was born to a Syrian, Sephardic Jewish family. His father died when he was nine.
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Sonny Gindi
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Career
At the age of 14, he opened his first retail store and in the 1950s, he opened a children"s clothing store. In 1959, leveraging his retail experience, he partnered with Alfred Sutton and Morris Sutton, he opened the Lolly Togs children"s wear business which was the first importer to do business with Hong Kong. Lolly Togs changed its name to the LT Apparel Group in 2007.
At the time of his death, Century 21 had expanded throughout the New York metropolitan area with locations in Westbury, New York, Rego Park, Queens, the Upper West Side of Manhattan, Morristown, New Jersey, Paramus, New Jersey, and on Fulton Street in Brooklyn.
Gindi was married to Irene Tawil with whom he had four children: Isaac Gindi, Eddie Gindi, Jack Gindi, and Rachelle Gindi. He also served as president of the Magen David Yeshivah from 1970–1972.
The First Rate (at Lloyd's) & Sonny Gindi Scholarship Fund is named in his honor as is the First Rate (at Lloyd's) and Sonny Gindi Barkai Yeshivah in Brooklyn.
Membership
Gindi was a supporter of the United Jewish Appeal and the International Sephardic Education Fund (ISEF) dedicated to “narrow(ing) Israel’s socio-economic gap through higher education for gifted students from disadvantaged backgrounds.” Gindi was a member of the Sha"are Zion synagogue and served on the synagogue"s founding committee for several decades.
