User:Nuritash/sandbox/Günther Friedländer

Günther Friedländer (April 8, 1902 – May 25, 1975) was a Pharmacist, Botanist, Pharmacognos and Food Chemist, an industrialist of medical products, the founder of "TEVA" pharmaceutical industry.

Biography

GÜnther Friedländer was born on April 8, 1902 in KőnigshÜtte - upper Schlesien in East Germany – a developing coal industry area. His mother Paula nee Kober, and his father Adolf Aron Friedlander, a merchant in the footwear industry. In the year 1912, when GÜnther was 10 years old, Friedländer family moved from KőnigshÜtte, situated in an area absorbed with coal dust, west to Ratibor, where a small Jewish community lived. At age of 11, GÜnther joined the Jewish movement "Blau-Weis (Blue-White)in Ratibor area. In parallel to his life-science studies, GÜnther wrote stories and plays relevant to his surrounding occurrences, to the meaning of life, and about his longing for Palestine and Jerusalem such as:"In our fathers land", Poem to Jerusalem", "Persephone, the goddess of spring", "Jacob the dreamer". In 1920 GÜnther was accepted to Wilhelm Friedrich University,School of Pharmacy in Breslau, and became a member in the Zionist student movement: KJV (Kartell Judieshe Verbindungen) in town. Upon completing the exams and receiving the first science degree, GÜnther Friedländer went to Bern University in Switzerland to do his doctorate studies with Professor Alexandro Tschirch. In July 1927, Günther Friedländer completed his doctorate studies "Cum Laude" and received his doctorate of philosophy degree for his thesis on: "Research in development processes within the field of Pharmacological, botanical and chemical pharmacology". After receiving the Ph.D. degree, Günther returned to Breslau and worked as an assistant of DR. A. Rop in the University faculty for Pharmacy and acted as the laboratory manager where he taught the Pharmacy faculty students along their two last semesters of studies in the university. At that time, Günther was working on analytical chemistry research under the supervision of Dr. A Rop. In November 1929, Günther Friedlander received his pharmacist diploma signed by Dr. Shozol, the Prussian Minister for national welfare. In April 1930, Günther moved to Gőrlitz in order to manage the pharmacy and laboratory of his aunt Else Kober, named the "Royal Pharmacy in Gőrlitz – (1883), "Krőnen Apotheke – Gőrliz". Else Kober was a First World War widow, and a bereaved mother to her only child. Her husband Max Kober, Günther's uncle and the brother of his mother Paula, was a pharmacist and the owner of the pharmacy in Gőrliz. He was drafted to the army during the First World War, was injured in the war and died from the wound. In May 31,1933, four months after the rise of the Nazis to power, and two months following to the "humiliating trip" that was forced by the Nazis on the "white collar" professional Jews in Gőrliz, Günther sailed to Palestine to explore and search for the location to establish his pharmaceutical industry to be named "TEVA". During his journey in Palestine, he decided to build the company in Jerusalem, and then he returned to Germany. The "Blue-White" movement that Günther was among its members in Ratibor, advocated going to nature, to know and to love natures' gift and its flora. Since Balfour declaration in 1917, the "Blue-White" movement adopted Zionism values and taught in its spirit. This was a "life changing" event in Günther's life at age of 15. He wrote stories, and poems and a play which are related to Erez Israel and directed his life towards Erez Israel to produce there medicine from plants locally grown.

== == Günther Friedlander's Zionistic Activity As a student in Wilhelm Friedrich University, Günther belonged and was active in the Zionistic student movement that directed its members to immigrate to Erez Israel in the future. As a pharmacist in Gőrliz, he was an active member in the Zionistic circle and gave lectures from time to time. Immediately when the Nazis came to power and after the "humiliating trip" that he went through in Gőrliz, he decided that the time to act is imminent for immigrating to Erez Israel to build there a pharmaceutical industry to manufacture medical products form country plants. In April 4,1934, Dr. Friedländer immigrated to Palestine with his first wife Charlotte. A month later, on Mai 8,1934 his aunt and partner - Else Kober immigrated as well to Palestine. Friedlander's vision to name his future pharmaceutical company "TEVA": "We aspire to assist human nature by means produced from Nature". This sentence Dr. Günther Friedländer wrote in the year 1923, at age of 21, while he "shaped his vision" during the annual conference of the "Blue white" organization held in Hohenberg. At this meeting, movement committee delegates, including Günther Friedländer met with Dr. Haim Weizmann that told them: "Industry is the basis and foundation for the development of a place. In Palestine there is no industry. You all should prepare for Palestine necessities, which requires specialists like you in applied industry. Go and establish industry there". The two cousins and committee delegates, Kurt Grunwald and Günther Friedländer decided at that time to fulfil Weizmann order and reacted: "When time comes, we will immigrate to Palestine and build there an industry for medicines in the spirit of "Blue White" and we will name it "TEVA" ("TEVA" in Hebrew means "Nature"). TEVA medical product will be manufactured form local natural materials/minerals and from the plants growing in Palestine - Erez Israel".

At that time, the people who worked as pharmacists in "Erez Israel" had not complete their academic studies and had not received the diploma. In order to assist these workers to achieve the diploma, Dr. Friedländer prepared in May 5, 1934 a memorandum indicating cardinal points that are required for establishing a Clinique and a university institute in Jerusalem that will create the basis for the school of pharmacy, a place where professional courses will be taught to pharmacist students that did not complete their formal studies and the pharmacy will create the basis of the Hebrew Pharmacopeia. In April 19,1935, Günther wrote a memorandum to Prof. Otto Warburg, one of the research pioneers of nature in Erez Israel and the manager of the Botanical Department in the Hebrew University. Dr. Friedländer indicated in his memorandum the need for establishing a school of pharmacy in Erez Israel in order to qualify pharmacists to become competent professional workers and provided a plan for Pharmacy school establishment that included various requirements such as: necessities, facility, equipment, teachers and more. Prof. Warburg replied that the advocated plan is too expensive and there is no sufficient budget for such a plan and therefore the plan is not applicable.

== == Dr. Günther Friedlander and Mrs. Else Kober establish "TEVA" in Jerusalem "TEVA" Company was founded by Dr. Günther Friedländer In May 1,1935 and his aunt Else Kober. Company registered name was: "Teva Middle East Pharmaceutical & chemical Works Co. Ltd., Jerusalem, Palestine". The company was built with an investment of 4,900 pound sterling, part came from private capital and partly from loans intended for German immigrants to establish industries. Credit-shortage lead to the joining of the banker Dr. Alfred Feuchtwanger as a partner in "TEVA" with 33% of shares in the company. In 1951, Dr. Feuchtwanger initiated the entrance of "TEVA" to the Tel-Aviv stock market as a registered public stock company. Friedlander used to say during difficult economic times, that a pharmaceutical industry has a strong basis in that: "A Jewish mother will always buy medicine for her children". In the Second World War, the company provided medicine to the allied forces and in particular to the British army present in the Middle East. Within the framework of contacts with the British Mandate regime, Sir Ellen Gordon Cunnigham, the British high commissioner of Palestine, on behalf of the colonial minister and responsible for the British Mandate, visited Teva. His visit glorified Teva's reputation among the "medicine market" and created a momentum for "TEVA" development. In 1959 - The pharmaceutical section of the "Israeli Manufacturer's Association" performed a survey grading the pharmaceutical companies in Israel according to several measures. "Teva Company" from Jerusalem was graded in the first place. Survey results proved that the market likes "TEVA" products that many of them were developed by Dr. Friedländer and his staff. "TEVA" workers pride raised, and they felt that there is a reward for their initiative, ideas and strict performance and appreciations for company excellent man-power.

During the Second World War and until the termination of the British mandate regime, "TEVA" exported its medical products to Arabic countries and supplied medicines to the British Army that was present in the Middle East countries. In 1941 - Dr. Friedländer presented "TEVA" company products in an exhibition held in Cairo - Egypt. The exhibition was sponsored by the "General Agent and Sole Distribution of medicine in Egypt and Sudan, Syria and Lebanon. Later on, "TEVA" company exported its products to the US, Soviet Union (USSR), health institutes in Denmark, Czechoslovakia, Persia and Burma. In 1954 - "TEVA" company received from the Israeli President Mr. Yitzhak Ben Zvi the certificate of "Excellence Company ". In 1964 – Contacts between "TEVA" company and other companies were developed. These included contacts with "Sintex Company" from Mexico, "Schering Plough" and more.

== References ==

External links

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