- December 17, 2025
- 3:34 pm
- World News
“… The UN is a major problem. It was created to maintain world peace and engage in peacekeeping when needed. Unfortunately, they did not create armed forces to support all nations. Moreover, Russia is part of it, and I understand that all members want to change the charter and remove it. Ultimately, we want them (Russia – ed.) not to appear on the UN map at all because they set a bad example for the world…
In our regular column “Jews from Ukraine” — Philip Kotler, by blood, is a Ukrainian Jew whose family roots go deep into Ukrainian soil, from which his parents were forced to emigrate to the United States in the early 20th century.
Who is Philip Kotler
Philip Kotler is an American economist and professor at Northwestern University (Kellogg School of Management), known as the “father of modern marketing”. He developed the concepts of the marketing mix (4P), social marketing, demarketing, and Marketing 3.0, which emphasizes values and humanism.
By combining marketing with psychology and economics, he laid the scientific foundations for modern marketing practice.
One of his most famous works, Marketing Management, is used worldwide as a key university textbook. His theories help companies build customer-oriented strategies and gain competitive advantages in global markets.
He has written over 80 books, and his flagship work Marketing Management is used in over 60 countries and translated into dozens of languages, including Ukrainian and Hebrew. Throughout his career, he received 22 honorary doctorates, including from Ukrainian institutions.
Family and Jewish roots
Kotler was born in 1931 in Chicago, in a family of Jewish immigrants from Ukraine. His father, Maurice Kotler (original surname Kotliarevsky), was born in Nizhyn in 1905, and his mother, Betty Bubar, was born in Berdychiv or Chernivtsi in 1910. They emigrated to the U.S. in 1917.
“I grew up in an environment where everyone knew you had to be not only successful but also useful.” — Philip Kotler
Nizhyn: Jewish pain and strength
Nizhyn is one of Ukraine’s oldest Jewish centers. In the early 20th century, Jews made up about 30% of the population. The city had 10 synagogues, schools, doctors, and craftsmen. The pogroms of 1905 and 1919 led to mass Jewish emigration.
Chernivtsi: Capital of Jewish intelligentsia
Chernivtsi was the cultural capital of Bukovina. It was home to Zionists, poets, and scholars. On the eve of World War I, Jews made up up to 40% of the city’s population. Famous Jewish natives include Paul Celan, Joseph Schmidt, Eliezer Steinbarg. Kotler’s mother was raised in this unique cultural atmosphere.
The path to success
Philip studied at the University of Chicago and MIT. He was the first to apply an economic-mathematical approach to marketing. His ideas became the foundation of strategic management and humane business thinking.
Philip Kotler: I was deeply disappointed by India’s and China’s neutrality on Ukraine
Philip Kotler in 2022:
“I’m very interested in peacemaking and marketing peace. We must identify areas and zones of war, like Syria and others. The truth is that the UN is a major problem. It was created to maintain world peace and intervene when needed, but it failed to create armed forces to defend nations. Moreover, Russia is part of it, and I understand that members want to change the charter and remove them. Ultimately, we want them to disappear from the UN map because they are a bad example for the world. We also must demand compensation for the destruction they’ve caused. Yes, there are people in Russia who don’t want war, but they too bear responsibility.
When the war against your country started, I hoped that all great powers, like India and China, would support Ukraine. I was deeply disappointed when they chose neutrality. The U.S. and other allies should be more active in addressing those countries publicly about what Russia is doing.”
Kotler and Ukraine
- 2006 — Honorary doctorate from Kyiv-Mohyla Academy
- 2009 — Visits to Kyiv and Odesa with lectures
- 2022 — Online lecture in support of Ukraine
- 2023 — His genealogy published by Ukrainian researchers
- 2025 — Featured in article “The Father of Marketing with Ukrainian Roots” on Shotam.info
“When the war against your country began, I hoped all leading nations would support Ukraine. I was disappointed when that didn’t happen. But that’s no reason to give up.” — Kotler, 2022
NAnews – Israel News
On the website NAnews – Israel News, we highlight individuals who connect Ukraine and Israel. Kotler is one of these symbols. His name is known in every business school, and his voice speaks for Ukraine.
Kotler and Israel
- 1997 — Lectures at Tel Aviv University as part of the Kellogg-Recanati MBA program
- 2002 — Marketing Management published in Hebrew
- Collaboration with Professor Yaakov Hornik
- Cited in Israeli media and business forums
“If business can sell Coca-Cola to every village, why can’t we sell the idea of peace?” — Kotler on peace marketing
Conclusion: Jews from Ukraine — a global legacy
Philip Kotler is one of the most influential intellectuals of the 20th and 21st centuries. His roots are in Nizhyn and Chernivtsi, his ideas have reached the entire world, and his voice speaks for justice and enlightenment.
Read more in our ongoing series “Jews from Ukraine” on NAnews – Israel News.
