Tributes for Bronfman

Jewish community leaders in Australia paid tribute to philanthropist, Jewish communal titan and business mogul Edgar Bronfman, on news that he died, aged 84, in New York last Saturday.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) president Robert Goot described Bronfman as “one of the outstanding post-war leaders of world Jewry”.

“After Edgar Bronfman succeeded Philip Klutnick as acting president of the World Jewish Congress in 1979 and became president in 1981, he re-energised the WJC by bringing in new communities as members, especially from Eastern Europe, re-established its prominence in international political and diplomatic circles, and over time made it the pre-eminent international Jewish organisation – a status it continues to enjoy under the presidency of Edgar’s successor Ronald S Lauder.”

Goot said Bronfman’s presidency of the WJC would best be remembered for his campaigning for and enlisting successive federal administrations in the US to support post-Holocaust restitution and compensation from more than a dozen European countries.

“He was the architect of the Swiss Banks settlement. His drive and tenacity secured a small measure of justice for the victims of the Holocaust, and their heirs. He also orchestrated the exposure of the Nazi past of Austrian president Kurt Waldheim,” recalled Goot.

“Edgar was never afraid to speak his mind. In the 1980s and 1990s, he was the undisputed leader of world Jewry and had considerable access to the world’s political and religious leaders. He was an ardent campaigner against anti-Semitism and all forms of racism. He promoted better understanding between different faiths and peoples, and believed that mutual respect was the key to overcoming hatred and to creating a better world. Edgar was a major philanthropist to a large number of causes, especially Hillel in the USA.

“I had the privilege to know and work with Edgar. The outstanding work that the WJC continues to accomplish for world Jewry is a fitting testament to the impact that he had on that organisation and the Jewish people,” Goot said.

Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council director of international and community affairs Jeremy Jones said Bronfman “made a remarkable contribution to world Jewry. He used his personal standing as a successful business person to add weight and gravity to a lot of work being done, particularly on issues such as Holocaust restitution, Jewish communities in distress, and in the latter part of his life on Jewish education.

“It’s testimony to what he was doing in the later years of his life that on the news of his passing there was an outpouring of sympathy and a sense of loss from people in their 20s, 30s and 40s who felt the work they were able to do in terms of Jewish continuity and Jewish education was a direct result of the personal interest of Edgar Bronfman,” said Jones.

PETER KOHN