Bluma Appel, (September 4, 1919July 15, 2007) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

and patron of the arts. She was born the daughter of Russian émigrés who left Czarist Russia around 1905. Born and raised in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...

, she was the founder of CANFAR, the

Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research The Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research (CANFAR) is the only national charitable foundation that raises awareness to generate funds for research into all aspects of HIV infection and AIDS. Since inception in 1987, CANFAR has invested more than ...

. Bluma married the Montreal chartered accountant Bram Appel on July 11, 1940. It was Bram's subsequent success in business which afforded Bluma the opportunity to engage in serious philanthropic activity: in 1946 he co-founded

Pall Corporation Pall Corporation, headquartered in Port Washington, New York, is a global supplier of filtration, separations and purification products. Total revenues for fiscal year 2014 were $2.8 billion, with $103 million spent on R&D. Pall Corporation's bu ...

. In

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

, she ran unsuccessfully as a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

candidate for the House of Commons of Canada in the riding of Nepean—Carleton. She lost to Walter Baker. She was a major supporter of the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, which named one of its theatres in her honour in March 1983 after she made a donation to help renovate the 876-seat theatre where the Canadian Stage Company ( CanStage) performs. She was also a significant force behind Opera Atelier. In June 2005, the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts gave Ms. Appel an honorary

Dora Mavor Moore Award The Dora Mavor Moore Award (also known as the Dora Award) is an award presented annually by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts which honours theatre, dance and opera productions in Toronto. Named after Dora Mavor Moore, who helped est ...

"for her exceptional and lifelong dedication" to the performing arts in Canada. She is memorialized at The Canadian Stage Company's Bluma Appel Theatre in perpetuity. Four days after celebrating her 67th wedding anniversary, Appel lost her brief battle with

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, malign ...

and died in a hospital in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

, aged 86. She was buried at Pardes Shalom Cemetery, north of

. Bram Appel died October 8, 2007. They are survived by their two sons David (born 1941) and Mark (born 1944), and five grandchildren.

Honours and awards

* In 1988, she was made a Member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the c ...

for being one of a few people "as active in such a broad range of community services as she". * In 1998, she was awarded an

Order of Ontario The Order of Ontario () is the most prestigious official honour in the Canadian province of Ontario. Instituted in 1986 by Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier David Peterson, the civilian order is adm ...

. * In 2001, she was elevated to Officer of the Order of Canada for continuing "her outstanding volunteer work on behalf of numerous cultural, social and health care organizations". * In 2005, she was awarded an honorary

for her lifelong support of Canadian arts and culture, an honour given to only two other individuals, William Hutt and

Urjo Kareda Urjo Kareda (February 9, 1944 – December 26, 2001) was an Estonian-born Canadian theatre and music critic, dramaturge and stage director. Kareda was born in Tallinn, Estonia. His parents fled the Soviet occupation of Estonia in the autumn of ...

. * In 2006, she was awarded an honorary

Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor ( ...

degree from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institu ...

. * In 2007, she was awarded an honorary

degree from

Brock University Brock University is a public research university in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. It is the only university in Canada in a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, at the centre of Canada's Niagara Peninsula on the Niagara Escarpment. The university bea ...

. * The Bluma Appel Theatre in the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts in Toronto is named in her honour for the use of The Canadian Stage Company

References

External links

* * *
Globe and Mail Obituary
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Appel, Bluma 1919 births 2007 deaths Anglophone Quebec people Canadian people of Russian-Jewish descent Dora Mavor Moore Award winners Jewish Canadian philanthropists Candidates in the 1979 Canadian federal election Members of the Order of Ontario Officers of the Order of Canada People from Montreal Deaths from lung cancer in Ontario Canadian founders University of Toronto alumni Brock University alumni Women founders Liberal Party of Canada candidates for the Canadian House of Commons 20th-century philanthropists