Jacob Rothschild dies at 87

Jacob Rothschild, known as the “Fourth Baron” of the British branch of the Rothschild financial dynasty, has died at the age of 87.

Born in 1936, Jacob Rothschild began his career at NM Rothschild & Sons in 1963 and today has an officially estimated fortune of around £825 million, according to last year’s Sunday Times Rich List.

Like other figures in the banking dynasty, Jacob Rothschild, despite a relatively low public profile, is known for his political involvement, given the family’s role in the creation of the state of Israel.

During a rare television interview on the centenary of the so-called Balfour Declaration, a 1917 statement in support of a “Jewish homeland in Palestine” from then British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour to his grandfather Walter Rothschild, “second Baron Rothschild” Jacob Rothschild himself described the Balfour Declaration as “the greatest event in Jewish life for thousands of years.”

The financial baron was also surrounded by suspicions of Satanic sympathies after he posed with the satanically profiled Serbian artist Marina Abramovich in front of the painting “Satan Calls His Legions”.

“Amazingly skilled financier”

His death was announced by his family on Monday, but no specific cause of death was given. According to the Rothschild family, Jacob Rothschild will be buried in accordance with Jewish customs in a separate family ceremony. A public memorial service will be held at a later date.

“Our father Jacob was a towering presence in many people’s lives, a superbly accomplished financier, a champion of the arts and culture, a devoted public servant, a passionate supporter of charitable causes in Israel and Jewish culture, a keen environmentalist and much-loved friend, father and grandfather”, the family said in a statement to the PA news agency.