The Bloch family was of Jewish origin. They suffered from hunger and repression during the
Russian Revolution. In 1917, Adolpho Bloch and seventeen relatives left their hometown,
Zhitomir, to live in Kiev. In 1921, he had to leave Ukraine permanently. After a nine-month stopover in Naples; they were able to leave for Brazil, arriving in
Rio de Janeiro in 1922. The Blochs had worked in the printing industry, and upon arriving in their new country they continued in this sector. Their first job was printing ballots for the popular
jogo do bicho, an illegal lottery. In 1931 they obtained Brazilian nationality. On 26 April 1952, Adolfo Bloch launched the first issue of Manchete magazine, a national weekly that became the most widely read in the country. Among of the writers who worked in the magazine were
Carlos Drummond de Andrade and
Rubem Braga. Bloch was known by his close friendship to president
Juscelino Kubitschek. From its foundation until the mid-1970s, Bloch Editores was located on Frei Caneca Street, in the center of Rio. Then, its headquarters moved to Russel Street in the
Glória neighborhood (South Zone of Rio). In addition to Manchete, they also published books and magazines in a wide variety of segments:
Fatos e Fotos,
Pais e Filhos,
Desfile,
Amiga and
Sétimo Céu. Also in the early 1980s, Adolpho Bloch created a team to develop the project for a television station. On 19 August 1981, the Brazilian government granted Bloch four of the concessions held by the former
Rede Tupi (the first TV station in Latin America, which was closed due to bankruptcy in 1980). After several postponements,
Manchete began broadcasting on 5 June 1983. That same year, Bloch bought Rádio Clube do Pará, which remained in his hands until 1992. The conglomerate's companies were then controlled by his nephew Pedro Jack Kapeller (known as Jaquito), == Awards and tributes ==