Michael Bloomberg

Bloomberg in 2009, photo by Pprhotos

Birth Name: Michael Rubens Bloomberg

Place of Birth: Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.

Date of Birth: February 14, 1942

Ethnicity: Ashkenazi Jewish

Michael Bloomberg, also known as Mike Bloomberg, is an American businessperson, politician, philanthropist, and author. He founded financial, software, data, and media company Bloomberg L.P. A self-made billionaire, he is usually ranked as one of the top 10 richest people in the U.S., and one of the country’s biggest philanthropists. He served as the 108th Mayor of New York City, from January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2013. He has been a member of the Democratic Party, until 2001, the Republican Party from 2001 to 2007, an independent from 2007 to 2018, and a Democrat since.

He was a candidate for the Democratic Party’s nomination for President of the United States in 2020.

Michael is the son of Charlotte (Rubens) and William Henry Bloomberg, a bookkeeper for a dairy company. His father was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts and his mother was born in Jersey City, New Jersey. His parents were both of Russian Jewish descent. Michael was raised in a practicing Jewish household, in Conservative Judaism, and had a Bar Mitzvah ceremony. He attends a Reform Jewish temple now.

He has two children, Emma Bloomberg and equestrian and philanthropist Georgina Bloomberg, with his former wife Susan (Brown). Susan is English-born, and of Jewish heritage on her own mother’s side. Emma is married to Christopher Frissora, the son of multimillionaire businessperson Mark Frissora. Michael’s sister, Marjorie Tiven, has been Commissioner of the New York City Commission for the United Nations, Consular Corps and Protocol.

Michael’s paternal grandfather was Rabbi Alexander “Elick” Bloomberg (the son of David Bloomberg and Liza Wolon). Rabbi Elick was born in šiaulėnai, Radviliškis District Municipality, Šiauliai County, Lithuania.

Michael’s paternal grandmother was Rose/Rosia Bernstein (the daughter of Gedalia Bernstein and Anna/Annie Levenson). Rose was born in Russia. Gedalia was the son of Zev Bernstein and Rachael. Anna was the daughter of Yosef Eber Levenson.

Michael’s maternal grandfather was Max F. Rubens (the son of Cappelle Rubens and Grace Shapiro). Max was born in Russia, and was president of the American Grocery Company. Cappelle was the son of Moshe David Rubens. Grace was the daughter of Bezalel Shapiro.

Michael’s maternal grandmother was Ethel Cohen (the daughter of Louis Cohen and Ida Damsky). Ethel was born in New York, to parents from Russia. Louis was the son of Jacob Cohen and Sarah.

Two people of Jewish heritage have been nominated for President of the United States by a major party. Barry Goldwater, nominated by the Republican Party in 1964, was the first (Goldwater was born to a Jewish father and a non-Jewish mother, and was raised an Episcopalian). John Kerry, nominated by the Democratic Party in 2004, was the second (Kerry’s paternal grandparents were born Jewish, though Kerry’s father and Kerry himself were raised Catholic).

Joe Lieberman, who was Jewish, was nominated for Vice President of the United States by the Democratic Party in 2000.

Michael is one of five people of Jewish heritage to have won a major party’s presidential caucus and/or primary. He won 1 territory, American Samoa, in 2020. The others are:
*Barry Goldwater (1964, the year he was nominated; Republican; won 7 states; Goldwater also sought the 1960 Republican nomination)
*John Kerry (2004, the year he was nominated; Democratic; won 51 contests)
*Wesley Clark (who sought the 2004 Democratic nomination; won 1 state, Oklahoma; Clark was born to a Jewish father and a non-Jewish mother, and is a practicing Catholic)
*Bernie Sanders (who sought the Democratic nomination in 2016 and 2020; in 2016, he won 23 contests; in 2020, he won 9 contests)

Of the five, Michael, and Bernie Sanders, are Jewish by religion, and Sanders is the first person of Jewish religion to have won a caucus and/or primary for a major American political party’s Presidential nomination (the 2016 New Hampshire primary).

Other people of significant Jewish heritage who have mounted plausible or semi-plausible campaigns for a major party’s nomination for President of the United States are:
*Milton Shapp (who sought the 1976 Democratic nomination)
*Larry Agran (who sought the 1992 Democratic nomination)
*Arlen Specter (who sought the 1996 Republican nomination)
*Joe Lieberman (who sought the 2004 Democratic nomination)
*John H. Cox (who sought the 2008 Republican nomination)
*Fred Karger (who sought the 2012 Republican nomination)
*Marianne Williamson (who sought the 2020 and 2024 Democratic nominations)
*Michael Bennet (who sought the 2020 Democratic nomination)
*Tom Steyer (who sought the 2020 Democratic nomination)
*Dean Phillips (who sought the 2024 Democratic nomination)

Shapp, Agran, Specter, Lieberman, Karger, Williamson, and Phillips were/are all Jewish by religion. Bennet and Steyer were raised in mixed-faith households, Bennet with a Jewish mother and Steyer with a Jewish father. Shapp was the first person of Jewish religion to mount a prominent campaign for a major party’s nomination for President of the United States.

Kirsten Gillibrand, a Catholic with a Jewish great-grandfather, also sought the 2020 Democratic nomination.

Sources: Articles about Michael’s Jewish heritage – https://www.jta.org
https://forward.com

Genealogies of Michael Bloomberg – http://www.wargs.com
http://www.geni.com

Michael’s mother on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org