Saidye Rosner Bronfman (9 December 1896 – 6 July 1995) was a Canadian-Jewish philanthropist. Her husband, Samuel Bronfman (1891–1971), purchased Joseph E. Seagram and Sons Limited, that became the Seagram Company. The family took a leading role in the Canadian-Jewish community.

Early life

Bronfman was born in Plum Coulee, Manitoba to well-to-do Jewish parents. Her father, Samuel Rosner (1871–1952), was a businessman from

Bessarabia Bessarabia () is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Bessarabia lies within modern-day Moldova, with the Budjak region covering the southern coa ...

, who emigrated to England before settling in Canada. He also served a two-year term as mayor of Plum Coulee. Her mother, Priscilla Berger Rosner (1876–1951), was a homemaker who was also an immigrant to Canada from

Odesa Odesa, also spelled Odessa, is the third most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern ...

, Ukraine, Russian Empire. She studied at Havergal Ladies' College in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

and the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1877, it is the first university of Western Canada. Both by total student enrolment and campus area, the University of ...

. Saidye married Samuel Bronfman (1891–1971) in 1922 and two years later they moved to Montreal, Canada.

Career and philanthropy

Prior to her marriage, Bronfman served as president of the Girls' Auxiliary of the

Jewish Orphanage Society and later headed the Orphans' Home. From 1929, she served as president of the Young Women's Hebrew Association in Montreal for six years. She was also founder and president of the Combined Jewish Appeal Women’s Division from 1931 to 1933, and in 1934 was one of the founders of Canadian Youth Aliyah.Jewish Women's Archives; Jewish Women's Encyclopedia: Saidye Rosner Bronfman by Michael Brown
retrieved April 3, 2012 In 1943, she was given the title of

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of In ...

of England for her establishment of the Jewish branch of the Canadian Red Cross Society. In 1952, her husband Sam established The Samuel and Saidye Bronfman Family Foundation, one of Canada’s major private granting foundations. The Saidye Bronfman Award was established in 1977 by the foundation to honour her 80th birthday. This annual award for excellence in the fine crafts is now administered by the

Canada Council for the Arts The Canada Council for the Arts (), commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown corporation established in 1957 as an arts council of the Government of Canada. It is Canada's public arts funder, with a mandate to foster and promote the study a ...

. The Saidye Bronfman Centre for the Arts (now known as the Segal Centre) was named for her and donated to the community by her children in 1968. In 1974, then-Israeli Prime Minister

Golda Meir Golda Meir (; 3 May 1898 – 8 December 1978) was the prime minister of Israel, serving from 1969 to 1974. She was Israel's first and only female head of government. Born into a Jewish family in Kyiv, Kiev, Russian Empire (present-day Ukraine) ...

presented Bronfman with the Prime Minister’s Medal for her service in the cause of Israel’s development. She was also honorary president of Montreal’s Jewish federation, Federation CJA and the Samuel and Saidye Bronfman Family Foundation. She also worked on behalf of

World ORT ORT (), also known as the Organisation for Rehabilitation through Training, is a global education network driven by Jewish values. It promotes education and training in communities worldwide. Its activities throughout its history have spanned mor ...

, the National Council of Jewish Women, Hadassah-WIZO of Canada, Canada-Israel Cultural Foundation and

Save the Children The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization. It was founded in the UK in 1919; its goal is to improve the lives of children worldwide. The organization raises money to imp ...

Personal life

She had four children with her husband: Aileen Mindel "Minda" Bronfman de Gunzburg (1925–1985), wife of French-born Hessian Baron Alain de Gunzburg; Phyllis Barbara Lambert (born 1927); Edgar Miles Bronfman (1929–2013); and Charles Rosner Bronfman (born 1931). She and her husband mostly lived in Montreal where their primary residence was Sumner-Bronfman House at 15 Belvedere Road in

Westmount Westmount () is a city on the Island of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is an enclave of the city of Montreal, with a population of 19,658 as of the 2021 Canadian census. Westmount is home to schools, an arena, a pool, a public li ...

, which they purchased in 1928. The couple spent time in The US in Manhattan and at their estate in Tarrytown, New York. Saidye Bronfman died in Montreal at age 98.La rénovation verte d'une résidence dorée
''La Presse''. 11 June 2008 Today, the Westmount home is occupied by her grandson, Stephen Bronfman and his family. She has 11 grandchildren, including:

Edgar Bronfman Jr. Edgar Miles Bronfman Jr. (born May 16, 1955) is an American businessman, filmmaker, theater producer, and media executive who is a managing partner at Accretive LLC. He previously was CEO of Warner Music Group from 2004 to 2011, and was its chair ...

, Matthew Bronfman, Adam Bronfman, Stephen Bronfman, Clare Bronfman and

Sara Bronfman Sara Rosner Bronfman (born 1976) is the daughter of the billionaire former Seagram chairman Edgar Bronfman Sr. Bronfman was a leading funder and a member of the leadership team for the controversial multi-level marketing company and cult NXIVM, a ...

Death and legacy

She died in 1995 at the age of 98 and her funeral ceremony was attended by over 2, 000 people at the Saidye Bronfman Centre for the Arts, including Canadian Prime Minister, Jean Chretien and David Berger, Canadian Ambassador to Israel.Saidye Bronfman, Matriarch of Canadian Jewry, Dies at 98
''Jewish Telegraphic Agency''. 10 July 1995 Both Israeli Prime Minister

Yitzhak Rabin Yitzhak Rabin (; , ; 1 March 1922 – 4 November 1995) was an Israeli politician, statesman and general. He was the prime minister of Israel, serving two terms in office, 1974–1977, and from 1992 until Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, his ass ...

and Foreign Minister

Shimon Peres Shimon Peres ( ; ; born Szymon Perski, ; 2 August 1923 – 28 September 2016) was an Israeli politician and statesman who served as the prime minister of Israel from 1984 to 1986 and from 1995 to 1996 and as the president of Israel from 2007 t ...

sent personal condolence notes to the family. Her grandson Adam established the Saidye Rosner Bronfman Rabbinic Chair at Temple Har Shalom, a burgeoning

Reform Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...

community in

Park City, Utah Park City is a city in Utah, United States. Most of the city is within Summit County, Utah, Summit County, with some portions extending into Wasatch County, Utah, Wasatch County. It is considered to be part of the Wasatch Back. The city is sou ...

.Our team
The Samuel Bronfman Foundation. Retrieved on 17 October 2023

References

External links

*
Segal Centre, formerly the Saidye Bronfman Centre for the Arts
*
The Bronfman Collection - The Canadian Museum of Civilization
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bronfman, Saidye Rosner 1896 births 1995 deaths Saidye Rosner Bronfman Canadian people of Russian-Jewish descent Canadian Jews Canadian philanthropists Canadian socialites People from Winnipeg University of Manitoba alumni 20th-century Canadian philanthropists