TORONTO—UJA Federation mourns the loss of Edward Bronfman who passed away at his home on April 4, 2005. He was 77 years old.
 
A community leader and philanthropic icon, Bronfman was a dedicated and generous donor to many important causes. He was always eager and willing to raise the bar of giving in the Jewish community.

Bronfman, an avid hockey fan who in 1971 co-owned the Montreal Canadians was instrumental in building Canada Centre, a recreation complex in Metulla on Israel’s northern border, boasting Israel’s only Olympic sized skating rink.  Bronfman agreed to support Israel’s hockey program through the Jewish Foundation of Greater Toronto's endowment fund.

Edward Bronfman will always be remembered for his warm, gentle nature, and his eclectic and varied philanthropic interests. Bronfman created a research clinic for Multiple Sclerosis at Mount Sinai Hospital, built a strong relationship with Hebrew University in Jerusalem and was deeply committed to the Jewish community of Toronto through the creation of several endowment funds which supported the Jewish poor and granted leadership training for new generations.
 
“He was an especially kind, and even shy person,” Steve Ain, Senior Vice President of Integrated Development at UJA and past UJA Executive Director remembered. “There were no pretenses with Edward, he was soft spoken and always approached everyone with enormous respect.  He was a gentle soul.”