Andrea Bronfman
Quick Facts
Biography
Andrea Brett Morrison Bronfman (May 30, 1945 – January 23, 2006) was a philanthropist and wife of billionaire Charles Bronfman, who was once co-chairman of Seagram's Co. She was a key figure in the Jewish community in New York City.
Personal life
She was born Andrea Brett Morrison in 1945 to a British Jewish family in London, the daughter of Hyam and Doris Morrison. Her father was a London clothier who was a leader of the United Joint Israel Appeal, and her mother, a homemaker, was a friend of the British Friends of the Museums of Israel. Her parents were also ardent Neo-Zionists.
She moved to Canada as a young bride with her first husband, David Cohen, (the grandson of Lyon Cohen, a prominent businessman, philanthropist, and founder of the Canadian Jewish Congress and the "Jewish Times", the first Canadian Jewish newspaper). After that marriage ended in divorce, she married Charles Bronfman, who had served as best man at her marriage to Cohen.
Death
She died in 2006 after being hit by a taxi in Central Park. A letter of condolence from the World Jewish Congress, whose president is Edgar Bronfman Sr., called Andrea Bronfman a pillar of her family and of the Jewish community.
She is survived by her children with David Cohen (died 2010):
- Jeremy Cohen and his wife Marci
- Philippa "Pippa" Cohen is the founder of the artist management firm, Webbcreative.
- Anthony "Tony" Cohen is the President and CEO of Global Edge Investments, a hospitality and lifestyle based investment company he founded in 1998. and his wife Moira.
A memorial ceremony was held Congregation B'nai Jeshurun in Manhattan and she was buried in Jerusalem.
Philanthropy
Andrea Bronfman and her husband were active in numerous charities including:
- Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies
- Gift of New York, a charity put together after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.