Temple Emanuel of Great Neck Senior Rabbi Robert Widom will interview banker and philanthropist — and former Great Neck resident — Sanford Weill May 17 as part of the temple’s Stephen C. Widom Cultural Arts Program.
Weill, the former chief executive and chairman of Citigroup, will be interviewed about his life in business as well as philanthropy.
Through the interview, Widom said, attendees will be able to see American success story.
“[Attendees] will learn that in American, one has great opportunities, and his life will speak to those opportunities,” Widom said. “They’ll see how he moved from college into being a runner for a small brokerage house to becoming involved in the brokerage business.”
The interview, which will start at 3 p.m. and be held at the temple located at 150 Hicks Lane, will be followed by a question and answer session with the audience.
Weill is currently the chairman of the Hamilton Insurance Group, and recently stepped down as chairman of Carnegie Hall after 24 years, although he still holds his title as president.
He is chairman Emeritus of Weill Cornell Medical College, which he served as chairman of for 20 years, chairman and founder of the National Academy Foundation, chairman of the Weill Hall and the Green Music Center and chairman of the executive council at the University of California, San Francisco, according to the temple.
He was also named in 2014 to CNBC’s “First 25” — the network’s list of the 25 people who have had the most influence on business since 1989.
Weill is also an honorary trustee of the temple and a friend of Widom for more than 45 years, Widom said.
In the early 1960s, Widom said, Weill lived in Great Neck, and was already a member of the temple when Widom became Rabbi.
Weill currently lives in Connecticut.
“He was very generous to our synagogue,” Widom said. “It’s why we named the sanctuary for Joan [Sanford’s wife] and Sanford Weill.”
Attendance is open to all, and tickets are $15 per person or $25 for two people.
Tickets can be purchased in advance by calling the center at 516-482-5701 or be purchased at the door.
