2 Jewish philanthropists pledge $134 million toward restoring Notre Dame

Contributions by Lily Safra and French billionaire owner of L’Oreal, Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, account for 17% of overall donations to iconic cathedral

By Cnaan Liphshiz 18 April 2019, 5:26 pm

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Cnaan Liphshiz was a Jewish World reporter at The Times of Israel

Debris inside the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on April 16, 2019, a day after a fire that devastated the iconic building. (Christophe Petit Tesson/Pool/AFP)

JTA — Two Jewish women have pledged between them $122 million toward the restoration of Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral following Monday’s devastating fire.

Lily Safra, a Brazilian Jewish philanthropist, said she would give $22 million to fund the restoration efforts of the iconic church, Brazilian news site Correio 24 Horas reported. And Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, the French billionaire owner of L’Oreal, pledged another 100 million euro ($112 million), according to CBS news.

The two women’s donations account for about seventeen percent of the $700 million collected so far for the restoration.

Françoise Bettencourt Meyers announced the donation on Twitter, following French President Emmanuel Macron’s call for philanthropists to help collect funds for the operation.

Her father, Andre Bettencourt, wrote numerous articles for two pro-Nazi publications during World War II, one of which was financed by the Nazi government in Germany. Bettencourt Meyers married Jean-Pierre Meyers, a French Jewish businessman descended from a family of rabbis, and converted to Judaism.

Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, right,, daughter of L’Oreal cosmetics fortune heiress Liliane Bettencourt, and her husband Jean-Pierre Meyers, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of l’Oreal, left, arrive for a L’Oreal award ceremony in Paris, March 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Bettencourt Meyers has led and donated to interfaith initiatives connecting Christians and Jews.

Meanwhile, the American Jewish Committee announced on Wednesday that it will donate funds to help repair Notre Dame.

“Whether Catholic or not, Notre Dame Cathedral is an integral part of our shared legacy and soul. It represents centuries of French and European faith, culture, history and imagination,” AJC CEO David Harris said in a statement.

“We share the pain of the French people and Catholics worldwide in watching this landmark house of worship burn,” He added. AJC maintains an office in Paris.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.