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.
Sir Sigmund Sternberg | |
|---|---|
| KCSG GCFO JP | |
| Born | 2 June 1921 |
| Died | 18 October 2016 (aged 95) |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman, philanthropist |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | Frances Aviva Blane Michael Sternberg Ruth Tamir (nee Sternberg) David Sternberg |
Early life
editSternberg 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
editSternberg 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
editSternberg 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
editIn 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
editSternberg 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
editSternberg 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
edit- ^ Le Matin
- ^ 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
- ^ a b c d e f Sugarman, Daniel (19 October 2016). "Sir Sigmund Sternberg dead at 95". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
- ^ a b c d Klein, Emma (20 October 2016). "Obituary: Sir Sigmund Sternberg". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
- ^ Who's who: Sir Sigmund Sternberg, President – website of Movement for Reform Judaism
- ^ Previous price winners – website of the Templeton Prize
- ^ 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
- ^ 2008 Award – official website of FIRST Magazine
- ^ "Tribute to Sir Sigmund Sternberg – Labour Business". Labour Business. 2017. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
- ^ "Top 50 donations to Labour in 2001". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
External links
edit- Profile from the Three Faiths Forum
- A portrait of Sir Sigmund (1998) by Valerie Wiffen, Sir Sigmund Sternberg by Valerie Wiffen, oil on canvas, 1998], is in the National Portrait Gallery, London.