South African-Israeli Jewish leader Mendel Kaplan died Thursday in Cape Town at the age of 73 after suffering a stroke on Tuesday. The former chairman of the Jewish Agency's Board of Governors, who made his fortune in the family business of steel manufacturing, led numerous Jewish and Zionist projects in more than 50 years of community service in Israel, as well as South Africa and other parts of the Diaspora. He also led major reforms at the Jewish Agency and was an honorary president of Keren Hayesod, the United Israel Appeal, from 1995 until his death.

In 1980 he and his brother Robert established the Isaac and Jessie Kaplan Centre for Jewish Studies at the University of Cape Town. Kaplan also founded the South African Jewish Museum, opened by Nelson Mandela in 2000. In between, he promoted immigration to Israel from the Commonwealth of Independent States after the fall of the Soviet Union.

His funeral is scheduled for Sunday in Cape Town.