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Susan Wakil (1934 – 28 May 2018) was a philanthropist who supported health, education and the arts in Australia.

Biography
Susan Wakil came to Sydney at the age of seven, having left Romania fleeing the Soviet government with her aunt. Her father had been interned in a Siberian gulag for being a landowner, and her mother had died after being taken to a Soviet concentration camp.

Susan lived with her aunt and was later joined by her father. In Sydney in 1955, Susan married her husband, Isaac, who had fled his native Iraq. Together, they built a successful clothing business and over time they purchased many iconic properties across Pyrmont and the Sydney CBD.

Since arriving in Australia as migrants, the pair have had a profound impact on their adopted home. The Wakils' success in the clothing industry and in property investments allowed them to give much-needed support to various causes. Through the Susan and Isaac Wakil Foundation they donated nearly $46 million to the University of Sydney and $20 million to the Art Gallery of New South Wales. As patrons of the arts, they were often seen at exhibitions and the opera and were regularly in the social pages in the 1970s.

On Australia Day in 2017, both were named Officers of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to the community through a range of philanthropic endeavours, and for their support of charitable, educational and cultural organisations.

Susan Wakil passed away on 28 May 2018.

Philanthropy
In 2014, the Wakils began selling many of their property investments and announced their intention to establish a charitable foundation.

In 2016, their $35 million gift to the University of Sydney was the largest donation ever received by the university. The gift supported the development of the Susan Wakil Health Building, which will unite the University's medicine and health disciplines in one purpose-built facility. The space will facilitate collaboration between faculties to deliver better health care and health outcomes for millions of people. They also funded the Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery, including 12 perpetual annual scholarships to assist nursing students with study, tuition and accommodation.

Their $24 million gift to the Art Gallery of New South Wales' Sydney Modern project was the biggest cash donation in the institution’s history. Additionally, their support of Opera Australia funded an initiative to help first-time opera-goers to see performances at the Sydney Opera House. The Wakils were also major benefactors of the Sydney Jewish Museum, supporting the Fund for Jewish Higher Education, making a significant contribution to tertiary-level Jewish studies and teacher training at the University of Sydney.

From 2015, through the Public Education Foundation, the Wakils funded scholarships for disadvantaged graduates of public schools undertaking tertiary or vocational education.

In memory of his wife, in 2019 Isaac commissioned Chinese-Australian artist Shen Jiawei to paint a portrait of Susan, in which she wore a gown of one of her favoured designers, Yves St Laurent. The portrait was donated to the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra.

Isaac Wakil has spoken of the joy the pair took in contributing to Australian cultural life. “Australia is a great country,” he said when their gift to the University of Sydney Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery was announced. “It’s a good feeling to give something back.”