Peter Kalms
British businessman, philanthropist and Chabad supporter (1929–2019)
| Peter Kalms | |
|---|---|
| Image | |
| Born | Template:Birth date London, England |
| Died | Template:Death date and age |
| Nationality | British |
| Residence | |
| Occupation | Businessman, philanthropist |
| Known for | Deputy Chairman and Finance Director of Dixons Group; major supporter of Chabad-Lubavitch in the UK and Israel |
| Parents | |
| Spouse(s) | Esti (née Weinstock) Kalms |
| Children | Tanya, Miriam, Penina, Chavi |
| Sibling(s) | |
| Website | |
Peter Kalms (25 August 1929 – 20 April 2019), also known as Pinchos Meyer Kalms, was a British businessman, accountant, philanthropist and prominent lay leader of Chabad-Lubavitch in the United Kingdom. He served as Deputy Chairman and Finance Director of the Dixons Group, helping to expand the company nationally, and dedicated much of his life to supporting Chabad institutions, educational initiatives for Soviet Jews, and projects in Israel. Peter Kalms is the former Deputy Chairman and Finance Director of the Dixon’s Group – a major electronics retailer in the UK (he is a descendant of the founder Charles Kalms). He is currently Chairman of Solmecs Flo-Ice Systems Ltd. and TFC Power Systems Ltd. He is Non-Executive Director of Vision RT Ltd. and is a chartered accountant.[1]
Early life and education
Born in pre-war London, Peter Kalms recalled childhood experiences during the Battle of Britain, watching dogfights from fields at his north London school. He trained as an accountant with Pole Brett and Co, qualifying as a certified accountant. He met his future wife, Esti Weinstock, while working for a client; they married in 1955 and settled in Edgware, where they raised four daughters: Tanya, Miriam, Penina and Chavi.
Business career
In 1961, Peter Kalms joined the board of Dixons, a chain of camera and electronics shops run by his cousin Stanley Kalms (later Lord Kalms). As Deputy Chairman and Finance Director, he played a key role in the company's rapid national expansion, taking it public and overseeing strategic acquisitions. He left Dixons in 1980 to pursue other ventures.
Kalms chaired several technology-focused companies, including Solmecs, Flo-Ice and TFC Power Systems. In 1984, Solmecs built a 50 KW magnetohydrodynamic generator at Ben Gurion University in a joint project with Israel’s Ministry of Trade and Industry. He was also a founder of Vision RT, a company developing surface imaging technology for cancer treatment.
Philanthropy and Chabad involvement
Peter Kalms became deeply involved with Chabad-Lubavitch after meeting Rabbi Faivish Vogel around the time he joined Dixons. In 1964, he visited the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, in New York, beginning a decades-long relationship that shaped his philanthropy.
He served as one of Chabad UK's primary lay leaders, overseeing the development of a new headquarters in Stamford Hill. Following the 1967 Six-Day War, he contributed substantially to the refurbishment of the Tzemach Tzedek synagogue in Jerusalem's Old City.
In 1971, Peter Kalms planned to make aliyah after purchasing property in Jerusalem but was advised against it by the Rebbe, who emphasised his role in strengthening Jewish life in the UK. He cancelled the move.
In 1973, with Russian-Israeli physicist Herman Branover, he co-founded Shamir, which published Jewish texts in Russian translation and provided employment services for Soviet immigrants. In 1976, he travelled to the USSR on a fact-finding mission, meeting activists including Natan Sharansky; his notes were confiscated by the KGB, and he was reportedly banned from the country.
Kalms was known for generous giving regardless of his financial situation, prioritising philanthropy over personal luxury. He authored books including A Place of Their Own and Guidance from the Rebbe.
Family
Kalms is a relative of Lord Harold Stanley Kalms, the life president of Dixons Retail plc. Lord Kalms is a major backer of the neoconservative Henry Jackson Society.
Israel
In 1984, Solmecs built a 50 KW magnetohydrodynamic generator at Ben Gurion University. The creation of the MHD generator was a joint project of Solmecs (itself a joint British Israeli corporation) and Israel’s Trade and Industry Ministry.[2]
Kalms is a director of The Friends of Yeshivat Shefa, a UK charity that provides support to the Aleph Society in Education, a Jewish educational organisation that operates within Israel proper and in the illegal settlement of Gush Etzion.[3] [4] An Aleph Society school is located in the settlement of Tekoa, one of the 22 settlements that make up the larger Gush Etzion bloc. [5] [6]
As well as being director of the Friends of Yeshivat Shefa, Kalms is also the director of The Friends of Shamir (Inner Wellspring). Shamir is a charitable Israeli organisation that Kalms helped to found in the 1970s. The organisation played a significant role in Israel’s absorption of Soviet Jews. Kalms has also been engaged in cultural projects such as the refurbishing of the Tzemach Tzedek synagogue in the Old City in occupied East Jerusalem.[7] [8]
Afilliations
- The Friends of Yeshivat Shefa - Trustee
- The Friends of Shamir (Inner Wellspring) - Trustee
- Este Kalms Charitable Trust - Trustee
- The Torah Academy Development Trust - Trustee
Personal life and death
Peter Kalms was remembered by his family as "Zaidy" — a man of strong opinions, altruism and focus on Jewish continuity. He died on 20 April 2019, aged 89, and was buried on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. He is survived by his wife Esti and their daughters and grandchildren.
See also
External links
- Obituary: Peter Kalms, The Jewish Chronicle
Notes
- ↑ bloomberg.com Peter Kalms. Accessed 24 August 2015.
- ↑ Staff, 'Israeli Scientist Unveils Generator with No Moving Parts Which Can Convert Heat to Electricity', Jewish Telegraphic Agency, 24 December 2015, accessed 24 August 2015
- ↑ The Charity Commission THE FRIENDS OF YESHIVAT SHEFA Charity Framework. Accessed 24 August 2015.
- ↑ The Charity Commission THE FRIENDS OF YESHIVAT SHEFA Contact & Trustees. Accessed 24 August 2015.
- ↑ Aleph Society Inc. Schools in Israel. Accessed 24 August 2015.
- ↑ B'Tselem Website Statistics on Settlements and Settler Population. Accessed 7 July 2015.
- ↑ The Charity Commission THE FRIENDS OF SHAMIR (INNER WELLSPRING). Accessed 24 August 2015.
- ↑ Chabad.org Peter Kalms. Accessed 24 August 2015.