David J. Azrieli

Azrieli was born in Poland in 1922. His parents, brother and sister were killed during the Holocaust. He fled Poland in 1939 and fought in Israel’s War of Independence in 1948 before settling in Montreal in 1954, where he made his fortune in real estate.

Renowned as an architectural innovator, Azrieli graduated from Carleton University with a master’s degree in architecture in 1997, when he was 75 years old.

He studied at Technion – Israel Institute of Technology from 1943 to 1946. Later, in Canada, he earned a Bachelor of Arts from Université de Montréal.

The second of four children, Azrieli was an ardent philanthropist. In 1989, he established the Azrieli Foundation — which supports education, medical research, Jewish appreciation and Holocaust commemoration — to realize his charitable goals.

The Azrieli Foundation donated $5 million to Concordia in 2011 to establish the Azrieli Institute of Israel Studies, a research hub that looks beyond the lens of Israeli politics. Norma Joseph, the institute’s associate director, says: “David was a builder. His vision as a philanthropist helped create institutions. We are indebted to him for his commitment to Israel studies and to Concordia.”

Azrieli also established the first endowed fellowships for Concordia graduate students. In 1984, he helped create the Azrieli Holocaust Collection, some 8,500 titles on anti-Semitism, at Concordia University Libraries. In 1975, Concordia bestowed an honorary doctorate upon Azrieli, calling him an “exemplary contributor” to the university.

Azrieli’s financial success, much of it derived from his real estate acumen, fostered his love of Canada and devotion to Israel, where he thrived. “I have two homelands,” Azrieli once said, “two places I love and where I have been blessed to do what I love best. My opportunity to express myself professionally started in Canada and eventually let me fulfill my dream of making a contribution to my other homeland, Israel. The two have always been entwined.”

His deepest belief, as he once said, was that “genuine freedom is being able to do what you love to do. If you have to spend your life doing things you don’t love to do, you are no better than a slave. This then, is my message: do what you love to do.”

An avid reader of newspapers and lover of classical music, Azrieli was named to the Order of Canada in 1984. He was invested as a Chevalier of the Ordre National du Québec in 1999.

David Azrieli died on July 9, 2014. He was 92 years old and is survived by his wife of 57 years, Stephanie, GrDip 76, BA 71, and by his children, Rafael, Sharon, an opera singer and cantor, Naomi, CEO of the Azrieli Foundation, and Danna, vice-president of the Azrieli Group.