Our Story
The name Forest of Life draws on one of the oldest images in Jewish tradition: the tree as a symbol of growth, continuity, and life itself — roots that hold, branches that reach, and a canopy that shelters those who come after.
Forest of Life Foundation was founded in 2024 by the Politanski and Kupfer Roizman families, born from a simple conviction: that the values passed down to us — a belief in education, in health, in resilience, in standing up for our community, and in tsedaká, the Jewish practice of giving as an act of justice — deserved a permanent home. Not just memories to be told, but a living institution that keeps acting on them, year after year, generation after generation.
We chose Switzerland, and specifically the Canton of Bern, deliberately: it is a jurisdiction that allowed us to build an institution capable of supporting causes and communities both in Switzerland and abroad, without being limited to a single country. Our reach, like our family's, is international.
What Guides Us
Our giving is shaped by values with deep roots in Jewish tradition and in our own family's history — the belief that education opens doors that nothing else can, that health is a foundation without which nothing else is possible, and that discipline and resilience (for us, learned especially through sport) can change the course of a young life. We do not shy away from our identity. It is part of why we exist.
Governance
Forest of Life Foundation is governed by a Foundation Board of four members, who oversee strategy, approve all grants and expenditures, and ensure the foundation operates in line with its charter and with Swiss law.
Claudia ended a long executive career as Executive Vice President of Itaú Unibanco, where she led multiple functions, and served as Vice President of the Brazilian Banking Federation (Febraban). She currently chairs the board of the Alef Peretz school, serves as Vice President of the elected voluntary board of Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, and sits on the boards of Unibes, Instituto Todos Pela Saúde, and Fundação Itaú para Educação e Cultura.
Dany is the founding partner of Brainvest Wealth Management, a multi-family office he founded in Geneva in 2003, today managing several billion dollars on behalf of international families. Earlier in his career, he worked as a private banker with JPMorgan Chase in São Paulo, New York, and Geneva, and with Banco BBM in São Paulo. He holds a degree in Economics from PUC São Paulo.
Jaume is the co-founder and CEO of Stoneweg, a Geneva-headquartered real estate investment platform he launched in 2015, which has since deployed several billion dollars in real estate transactions across Europe and the US. He previously spent over a decade at Banque Privée Edmond de Rothschild, where he headed real estate and dedicated accounts. He holds a degree in Business Administration from ESADE and a Master’s in International Management from CEMS (University of St. Gallen and ESADE Barcelona).
Jacyrandi is a lawyer and founding partner of Brainvest Fiduciary Services, where she advises international families on wealth, tax, and succession planning. Earlier in her career she worked with Vistra and Julius Baer. She is based in Zurich.
Transparency
Forest of Life Foundation's annual accounts are independently audited each year by Budliger Treuhand AG, a licensed Swiss audit firm.
