Sylvia Hassenfeld, trustee and celebrated leader, dead at 93

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She was the first female president of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC). She oversaw the rescue of Jews and Muslims from Sarajevo and aided in the rescue of another 14,000 Ethiopian Jews. She helped raise nearly $1 billion for Brandeis University.

Her name was Sylvia Hassenfeld, and the Jewish Women’s Archive labels her as “one of the most important American Jewish communal leaders and philanthropists of the twentieth century.”

Hassenfeld passed away on Aug. 15, at the age of 93. She was a longtime Brandeis trustee who also strove to make the world a better place. She served on the Brandeis Board of Trustees from 1996-2014 and also acted as vice chair from 1998-2004. She began many scholarships, including the Sylvia Hassenfeld Scholarship, Hassenfeld Foundation Scholarship and more.

“Sylvia cared deeply about Brandeis and its students. She believed in the Brandeis mission from its founding, and I witnessed her genuine interest in our students,” said Nancy Winship, senior vice president of institutional advancement at Brandeis. Winship worked with Hassenfeld for 18 years. She refers to Hassenfeld as “a very important mentor and guide for me personally.”

In an interview with The Hoot, Winship explained even more about Hassenfeld’s deep commitment to Brandeis. “What I observed from my time with her was that her work for the University was always ‘hands-on’ … In 2008, Sylvia hosted a luncheon for scholarship donors and the student beneficiaries, and I recall how pleased she was to do this. I know that the beneficiaries of her scholarships would often write to her, and she would tell me how much she relished those letters. She loved seeing their progress. When she was on campus, she would make a point of trying to meet with students to learn how they were doing and about their lives at Brandeis. Sylvia believed firmly in providing support to students to meet their financial needs,” Winship said.

Hassenfeld’s true passion was philanthropy. In addition to her role as president of the JDC she also had leadership positions with the NYU Langone Medical Center, the United Jewish Appeal, the Jewish Agency, the Israel Museum and more. She even helped develop a children’s hospital that is set to open in 2017.