Sam Israel was a real estate developer and investor.

Biography

Israel was born in Rhodes

Rhodes

Rhodes is an island in Greece, located in the eastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of both land area and population, with a population of 117,007, and also the island group's historical capital. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within...

, then part of the Ottoman Empire

Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

, now part of Greece

Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

. He immigrated to the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 in 1919 and became a shoemaker in Seattle, Washington. After World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, during which he had a military contract to repair combat boot

Combat boot

Combat boots are military boots designed to be worn by soldiers during actual combat or combat training as opposed to during parades and other ceremonial duties. Modern combat boots are designed to provide a combination of grip, ankle stability, and foot protection suitable to a rugged environment....

s at Fort Lewis

Fort Lewis

Joint Base Lewis-McChord is a United States military facility located south-southwest of Tacoma, Washington. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Army Joint Base Garrison, Joint Base Lewis-McChord....

 near Tacoma

Tacoma, Washington

Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...

, he began to invest in real estate. His holdings, many of them in the Pioneer Square

Pioneer Square, Seattle, Washington

Pioneer Square is a neighborhood in the southwest corner of Downtown Seattle, Washington, USA. It was once the heart of the city: Seattle's founders settled there in 1852, following a brief six-month settlement at Alki Point on the far side of Elliott Bay. The early structures in the neighborhood...

 historic district, were largely dilapidated and undesirable to the majority of investors. Through what Paul Dorpat in Pacific Northwest Magazine called Israel's "benign neglect," many of these buildings survived to be renovated after his death in 1994.

Israel established the Samis Land Company (now simply Samis) to manage his holdings. The name is based on his first and last names. In 1979, he established the Samis Foundation.

Israel spent much of his later years in Soap Lake, Washington

Soap Lake, Washington

Soap Lake is a city in Grant County, Washington, on the shores of Soap Lake. The population was 1,733 at the 2000 census. In 2002, the city announced preliminary plans to construct the world's largest lava lamp as a tourist attraction....

, which was said to remind him of the land of Israel. He died in Seattle at age 95.

Legacy

The Samis Foundation is supported by Samis and has granted over $40 million toward "enhanc[ing] the quality and continuity of Jewish life in Washington State and the State of Israel

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

." The foundation states that over 80% of its annual grants support Jewish education in Washington.

Samis currently owns over 500 parcels in Washington, including 16000 acres (64.7 km²) of land outside Seattle. Within Seattle, Samis owns two blocks in Downtown and 11 historic buildings in Pioneer Square. The Smith Tower

Smith Tower

Smith Tower is a skyscraper in Pioneer Square in Seattle, Washington. Completed in 1914, the 38 storey, tower is the oldest skyscraper in the city and was the tallest office building west of the Mississippi River until the Kansas City Power & Light Building was built in 1931...

was part of its portfolio from 1996 to 2006.