Hershey Friedman

Hershey Friedman (born 1950) is a Canadian billionaire businessman and philanthropist. His business concerns span the plastics packaging business and kosher meat in North America as well as luxury real estate development and Jewish books in Israel.

Early life Hershey Friedman was born in 1950 in Montreal, Quebec. His parents, Yisroel D. and Elza Friedman, owned a textile company. He attended Yeshivas Ner Yisroel near Baltimore and Beit Shraga in Monsey, New York. The company built the Beeri-Nehardea Tower; it also planned to build the Elite Tower, but the project was discontinued.

Friedman purchased Agriprocessors, a kosher meat company based in Iowa, USA in 2009. The cost of the Babylonian Talmud project was over $20 million.

In 2023, Friedman continued his legacy of philanthropy by offering fully furnished apartments through his real estate company Azorim to evacuees of the conflict in southern Israel, free of charge. His Agri Star meat business also facilitated shipments of kosher, shelf-stable food to soldiers on the front lines. These actions reflect his commitment to both humanitarian aid and Jewish communal support.

Personal life Friedman is married to Raisy Stuhl since 1975. They have six married children, all of whom work for his businesses.

Friedman resides in Montreal. He spends one week every month in Israel.