The following is excerpted from an article written by Sergey Kadinsky in the Queens Jewish Link; dated August 28, 2019) 

By: Sergey Kadinsky

Born in the Romanian city of Satu Mare in 1927 and known by his nickname Yidel, Eugene Gluck survived the concentration camps of Nazi Europe and relocated to Antwerp after the war where he met his wife Jean. In 1948, they immigrated to New York. After initially operating a bakery in Brooklyn, the Glucks went into the watchmaking business. The E. Gluck Corporation, based in Little Neck, grew into one of the biggest watchmaking firms in the country, famous for Armitron, an early brand of digital watch. By the end of the century, it was the fifth largest firm in the industry.

Mr. Gluck resided in Forest Hills Gardens and was a longtime member of the Young Israel of Forest Hills, the shul closest to his home that shared his strong Zionist sentiments. “Besides being a great benefactor of the Young Israel of Forest Hills, his joyful spirit and enthusiasm gave great chizuk to all the members of the shul,” said shul president Philip Belkin. “He will be missed by all who had the privilege to know him.”

“He was such a positive person,” said Rabbi Ashie Schreier, rav of the shul. “After any interaction with him, you always felt better, no matter what. Even until the very end he was always smiling and positive. We lost a giant.”

Here is the link to the excerpt of the documentary on this life and legacy of Eugen Gluck, zt’l.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkbkiIDPXV4&t=3s

Outside of the synagogue is a Hatzolah ambulance that was funded by Gluck. When the volunteer service was launched, Gluck offered to pay for half of its funding, but then Jean urged him to pay for all of its initial expenses. It is today the largest volunteer ambulance service in Queens. “Since 1980, Forest Hills had four ambulances, each one donated by the Glucks,” said former Queens Hatzolah coordinator Yitzchok Rowe. “He received so much nachas from the growth of Bet El and seeing an ambulance going on a call. In those days, a Hatzolah call was a newsworthy event.”

The Glucks were also among the top supporters of the Concert with a Message in Central Park, which brought pro-Israel speakers and musicians together in a message of uncompromising support for Israel and traditional Jewish values.

Mr. Gluck was best known for his support of Bet El, the yishuv north of Jerusalem bolstered by his  ability to secure funding from thousands of individuals at annual dinners that brought some of the leading political figures from America and Israel.

 “The fact that some 800,000 Jews live today over the green line in Judea and Samaria and the eastern neighborhoods of Jerusalem is due in great part to this great, late leader Eugen Gluck, of blessed memory,” said former Knesset Member Yaakov “Ketzaleh” Katz. “For 40 years, Mr. Gluck made the return of Jews to Judea and Samaria and numerous charities the central thrust of his life. He was a rare Jew who correctly read the map of Israel’s future and contributed much to shape it. He was a primary force in changing the way the State of Israel relates to the liberated territories in Judea and Samaria. In the merit of his activism and philanthropy, this region will remain in Jewish hands forever.”

Katz first met Gluck in the late 1970s, when Bet El was an outpost built on the site of Yaakov’s dream involving angels and ladders, an altar used prior to the Bayis Rishon, and a biblical-period community that was destroyed by the Roman legions. Through his philanthropy, this town became a center for Jewish education that includes the Bet El Yeshiva Center for college-age men, a Yeshiva High School for boys, the Jeanie Gluck High School Academy for Girls, and the Gluck Israel Defense Forces Preparatory Academy.

The message of Jewish building, defense, and daily life in Judea and Samaria is disseminated by Arutz Sheva, also known as Israel National News, an online platform and B’Sheva, its print counterpart, which were founded by Gluck and based in Bet El.

For the past 36 years, American Friends of Bet El Yeshiva Center has been holding its annual dinners at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square – the largest Zionist dinner in America. “Eugen Gluck was instrumental in bringing people to the dinner. He took it to heart,” said dinner Executive Vice President Sheila Simanowitz. “He was the most wonderful person, a marvelous man.”