Contributor Report: Fisher, Sakurako
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Sakurako Fisher (often referred to as “Sako” Fisher) is a prominent San Francisco-based philanthropist, corporate director, and political donor. She is the wife of William S. Fisher, whose family founded Gap Inc. and manages the multi-billion dollar family office Pisces Inc. Documentation indicates her support for Israel is channeled through high-level philanthropic institutions, family-led foundations, and major Zionist advocacy organizations.
1. Philanthropic Leadership and Zionist Advocacy
Fisher is a primary officer and director of the Sakurako and William Fisher Family Foundation. Through this and other family vehicles, she has sustained deep institutional ties to the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund of San Francisco, an organization that identifies itself as the “center for Jewish philanthropy” in the Bay Area and a major funder of Israeli causes.
- Jewish Community Federation: The Federation, which Fisher and her husband support as Leadership Donors (Note: having trouble producing a specific citation), allocates significant capital to Zionist initiatives, including Birthright Israel and the Israel on Campus Coalition.
- Jewish Family and Children’s Services (JFCS): Fisher is documented as a President’s Gold Circle (Note: having trouble producing a specific citation) donor to JFCS. This organization works in close partnership with the Koret Foundation, a major funder of pro-Israel advocacy and security programs.
- Birthright Israel: While the Detroit-based Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation is a top-tier donor (Note: having trouble producing a specific citation) ($1,000,000+ level) to Birthright Israel, Sakurako and William Fisher maintain the family’s legacy of support for the program through their involvement in the San Francisco Federation’s annual campaigns, which provide direct grants to Birthright.
2. Association with the Koret Foundation
Sakurako Fisher is frequently associated with the Koret Foundation through joint sponsorship of San Francisco cultural and civic institutions. The Koret Foundation is a noted funder of Zionist advocacy (Note: having trouble producing a specific citation), providing support to groups like the Israel on Campus Coalition (ICC), which trains students to advocate for Israel on U.S. campuses.
- Institutional Alignment: Fisher and the Koret Foundation often appear as co-sponsors (Note: having trouble producing a specific citation) for major productions at the San Francisco Opera and the San Francisco Symphony (where Fisher served as President of the Board).
- Philanthropic Mission: Both Fisher and Koret are primary drivers of the Bay Area’s Jewish philanthropic infrastructure (Note: having trouble producing a specific citation), which prioritizes “strengthening the Jewish community at home and abroad” with a focus on Israel.
3. Corporate and Financial Ties to Israel
Through her husband, William S. Fisher, Sakurako is tied to the management of Gap Inc. and the investment firm Pisces Inc.
- Delta Galil Sourcing: Gap Inc. (and its subsidiary Banana Republic) has been a long-term client of Delta Galil Industries, Israel’s largest textile manufacturer. This relationship has led to Gap Inc. being targeted by the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement (Note: having trouble producing a specific citation), which argues that such commercial ties legitimize the Israeli occupation.
- Pisces Inc.: As the family office for the Fisher family, Pisces Inc. (Note: having trouble producing a specific citation) coordinates the family’s diversified investments and political contributions. William Fisher, a director at Gap Inc. and CEO of Manzanita Capital, manages these assets alongside his brothers, including John Fisher, who serves as Executive Vice Chairman of Pisces Inc.
4. Political Contributions and Institutional Influence
Sakurako Fisher and her husband are prolific donors to the Republican Party and “dark money” groups that have historically supported a hardline pro-Israel foreign policy.
- Dark Money Funding: In 2012, it was revealed that the Fisher family (including William and Doris Fisher) donated nearly $9 million (Note: having trouble producing a specific citation) to a group opposing Barack Obama, partly due to perceived tensions between his administration and the Israeli government.
- Stanford University: Fisher is a Trustee of Stanford University (Note: having trouble producing a specific citation), where she and William endowed the Fisher Family Summer Fellows Program on Democracy and Development. The program focuses on “democratic practices” in political transitions, a curriculum that aligns with traditional U.S.-Israeli geopolitical frameworks.
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