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Sigmund Sternberg

Sir
Sigmund Sternberg
KCSG GCFO JP
Born(1921-06-02)2 June 1921
Budapest, Kingdom of Hungary
Died18 October 2016(2016-10-18) (aged 95)
Occupation(s)Businessman, philanthropist
Spouses
  • Ruth Schiff
  • Hazel Sternberg
ChildrenFrances Aviva Blane
Michael Sternberg
Ruth Tamir (nee Sternberg)
David Sternberg

Sir Sigmund Sternberg KCSG GCFO OOA[1] JP[2] (Hungarian: Sternberg Zsigmond; 2 June 1921 – 18 October 2016) was a Hungarian-British philanthropist, interfaith campaigner, businessman and Labour Party donor.

Early life

Sternberg was born in 1921 in Budapest, Hungary.[3][4] He was Jewish. He emigrated to England in 1939,[3] and was naturalised as a British citizen in 1947.

Career

Sternberg worked in the scrap metal trade.[3] After the war, he founded Sternberg Group of Companies.[4] By 1968 he retired from the scrap metal trade and focused on commercial property investments.[4]

Philanthropy

Sternberg worked to promote dialogue between different faiths. For example, he relocated a Roman Catholic convent at Auschwitz. Moreover, he organised the first papal visit to a synagogue in 1986. Additionally, he negotiated the Vatican's recognition of the state of Israel.[citation needed]

Sternberg established The Sir Sigmund Sternberg Charitable Foundation in 1969 and was one of the co-founders of the Three Faiths Forum. Sternberg was Life President of the Movement for Reform Judaism.[5] He was chairman of the Sternberg Interfaith Gold Medallion.

Distinctions

In 1976, Sternberg was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II, and in 1985 he was made a Papal Knight Commander of the Order of St. Gregory the Great (KCSG) by Pope John Paul II.[3] He was awarded the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion in 1998 for his interfaith work worldwide.[6] In November 2005, Sternberg was promoted to the highest rank within the Royal Order of Francis I to the grade of Knight Grand Cross (GCFO), this in recognition of his contributions to furthering the interfaith activities of the British and Irish Delegation.[7] In 2008, he received the FIRST International Award for Responsible Capitalism, lifetime achievement medal.[8] In 2009 he was made Officer of the Order of Ouissam Alaouite by King Mohammed VI.

Politics

Sternberg was a long-term Labour Party supporter and donor,[9] and was one of its top 50 donors in 2001 with a gift of £100,000 to its head office.[10]

Personal life and death

Sternberg married Ruth Schiff in 1949.[4] They had a son, Michael Sternberg, and a daughter, artist Frances Aviva Blane. They divorced in 1969, and he later married Hazel Sternberg, who died in 2014.[3] He died on 18 October 2016.[3]

References

  1. ^ Le Matin
  2. ^ Association Members Archived 2012-02-06 at the Wayback Machine – official website of the Association of Papal Orders in Great Britain of Pius IX, Saint Gregory and Saint Sylvester
  3. ^ a b c d e f Sugarman, Daniel (19 October 2016). "Sir Sigmund Sternberg dead at 95". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d Klein, Emma (20 October 2016). "Obituary: Sir Sigmund Sternberg". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  5. ^ Who's who: Sir Sigmund Sternberg, President – website of Movement for Reform Judaism
  6. ^ Previous price winners – website of the Templeton Prize
  7. ^ Interfaith leader Sir Sigmund Sternberg promoted to the highest rank within the Royal Order of Francis I – official website of the Grand Magistral Delegation for Inter-Religious Relations
  8. ^ 2008 Award – official website of FIRST Magazine
  9. ^ "Tribute to Sir Sigmund Sternberg – Labour Business". Labour Business. 2017. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  10. ^ "Top 50 donations to Labour in 2001". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
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