OUR FOUNDER: DAVID AZRIELI

“I dream with my eyes open”

David J. Azrieli

1922 - 2014

David Azrieli (Z”l) was a Canadian real estate entrepreneur, developer, designer, architect, and philanthropist

 

Born in Makow-Maz, Poland in 1922, David Azrieli escaped in 1939, just ahead of the invading Nazis to the eastern side of Poland occupied by the Soviet Union Surviving in the USSR for almost three years, he made his way to pre-state Israel in late 1942, where he studied architecture at Technion – Israel Institute of Technology and served in the Seventh Brigade during Israel’s 1948 War of Independence.

 

In 1954, he moved to Montreal, Canada, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts from the Université de Montréal. He met and married his wife- Stephanie Lefcort in 1958, and they raised four children.

 

David Azrieli launched a career in design, real estate development and property management in the late 1950-s.  His unparalleled success in building and design can be seen in imaginative office towers, hotels, and shopping centers in Canada, the United States, and Israel.

 

Azrieli is credited with revolutionizing the shopping center industry in Israel, a process that began when he built the first enclosed shopping centre in the country in 1985. The concept was unknown at the time and Azrieli himself coined the Hebrew word for “mall” (“canion”) by combining the words for shopping and parking.

In 1992, David Azrieli began work on the Azrieli Center in Tel Aviv and the project’s final phase was completed in 2008. The Azrieli Center is a striking landmark that has changed and dominates the Tel Aviv skyline.

 

In 2010, the Azrieli Group went public in one of the most successful IPO-s in Israeli history.

 

David Azrieli was a strong supporter and believer in education and continuing education, as was wxpressed in both . his philanthropic pursuits  as well as his personal journey. In 1997, he earned a Master’s degree in Architecture at Carleton University in Ottawa at the age of 75.

 

David Azrieli was a committed and visionary philanthropist. Personally and through the Azrieli Foundations (Canada and Israel), he generously supported numerous important initiatives, most notably in education in Canada, Israel, and the United States such initiatives include, , among others, the endowment of a Chair in Architecture and Town Planning at the Technion – Institute of Technology, Israel:  the endowment for the Azrieli School of Architecture at Tel Aviv University:  the endowment for the David J. Azrieli Institute for Graduate Studies in Architecture at Carleton University; the Azrieli Faculty of Design at Shenkar College of Engineering and Art, the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration at Yeshiva University. and, the endowment for the creation of the Azrieli Institute for Systems Biology at the Weizmann Institute of Science. The Azrieli Foundation is recognized as an innovative leader in its field, establishing and operating programs that support hospitals and research institutes, education to fight addiction, Jewish and pluralistic education, teacher training, vocational training, women’s empowerment, assistance to Holocaust survivors and more.

 

David Azrieli received many awards and honors in his lifetime included the prestigious : the Order of Canada in 1984 and l’Ordre Nationale du Quebec in 1999. He was also an Honorary Trustee (“Neeman”) of the City of Jerusalem and received honorary doctorates from Concordia University, Yeshiva University, Carleton University, Tel Aviv University and Technion – Israel Institute of Technology.

 

David Azrieli passed away on July 9th, 2014 at the age of 92.

David J. Azrieli

1922 - 2014

David Azrieli (Z”l) was a Canadian real estate entrepreneur, developer, designer, architect, and philanthropist

 

Born in Makow-Maz, Poland in 1922, David Azrieli escaped in 1939, just ahead of the invading Nazis to the eastern side of Poland occupied by the Soviet Union Surviving in the USSR for almost three years, he made his way to pre-state Israel in late 1942, where he studied architecture at Technion – Israel Institute of Technology and served in the Seventh Brigade during Israel’s 1948 War of Independence.

 

In 1954, he moved to Montreal, Canada, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts from the Université de Montréal. He met and married his wife- Stephanie Lefcort in 1958, and they raised four children.

 

David Azrieli launched a career in design, real estate development and property management in the late 1950-s.  His unparalleled success in building and design can be seen in imaginative office towers, hotels, and shopping centers in Canada, the United States, and Israel.

 

Azrieli is credited with revolutionizing the shopping center industry in Israel, a process that began when he built the first enclosed shopping centre in the country in 1985. The concept was unknown at the time and Azrieli himself coined the Hebrew word for “mall” (“canion”) by combining the words for shopping and parking.

In 1992, David Azrieli began work on the Azrieli Center in Tel Aviv and the project’s final phase was completed in 2008. The Azrieli Center is a striking landmark that has changed and dominates the Tel Aviv skyline.

 

In 2010, the Azrieli Group went public in one of the most successful IPO-s in Israeli history.

 

David Azrieli was a strong supporter and believer in education and continuing education, as was wxpressed in both . his philanthropic pursuits  as well as his personal journey. In 1997, he earned a Master’s degree in Architecture at Carleton University in Ottawa at the age of 75.

 

David Azrieli was a committed and visionary philanthropist. Personally and through the Azrieli Foundations (Canada and Israel), he generously supported numerous important initiatives, most notably in education in Canada, Israel, and the United States such initiatives include, , among others, the endowment of a Chair in Architecture and Town Planning at the Technion – Institute of Technology, Israel:  the endowment for the Azrieli School of Architecture at Tel Aviv University:  the endowment for the David J. Azrieli Institute for Graduate Studies in Architecture at Carleton University; the Azrieli Faculty of Design at Shenkar College of Engineering and Art, the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration at Yeshiva University. and, the endowment for the creation of the Azrieli Institute for Systems Biology at the Weizmann Institute of Science. The Azrieli Foundation is recognized as an innovative leader in its field, establishing and operating programs that support hospitals and research institutes, education to fight addiction, Jewish and pluralistic education, teacher training, vocational training, women’s empowerment, assistance to Holocaust survivors and more.

 

David Azrieli received many awards and honors in his lifetime included the prestigious : the Order of Canada in 1984 and l’Ordre Nationale du Quebec in 1999. He was also an Honorary Trustee (“Neeman”) of the City of Jerusalem and received honorary doctorates from Concordia University, Yeshiva University, Carleton University, Tel Aviv University and Technion – Israel Institute of Technology.

 

David Azrieli passed away on July 9th, 2014 at the age of 92.

1920

Early Life

Born in 1922 in Maków-Maz, Poland, David Azrieli was the second of four children of Sara-Chaya (née Gerwer) and Rafael Hirsch Azrylewicz.

1930

One Step Ahead

David  escaped in 1939, just ahead of the invading Nazis,  to the eastern side of Poland occupied by the Soviet Union.

1940

The journey to Palestine

David Azrieli’s travels in the Soviet Union took him to Gomel, Stalingrad, Ulyanovsk, Tashkent, and Bukhara. In the fall of 1942, he joined the Polish “Anders” Army in Bukhara and moved with them into Iran and then to Baghdad.

David reached British Mandate Palestine in late 1942. He studied architecture at Technion – Israel Institute of Technology from 1943-1946. In 1946, David Azrieli learned that, of his family, only one brother survived the Holocaust. He served in the Seventh Brigade during Israel’s 1948 War of Independence, taking part in the Latrun campaign during the siege of Jerusalem.

1950

A modest start

David Azrieli moved to Montreal in 1954, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts from the Univeristy of Montreal. He launched his career in real estate development, and property management in 1957 with the modest construction of four duplexes in Montreal.

1960

Rise to Success

David Azrieli founded Canpro Investments Ltd. in Montreal in the early 1960’s, at first focusing on developing high-rise residential buildings and, in 1967, building the 250-room Hotel “Des Artistes” that housed musicians and other artists who performed at Expo ’67. Following his success there, he moved on to bigger commercial projects, designing his first shopping center in 1969.

1980

A pioneer

In the early 1980’s, David Azrieli decided to bring what he had learned about construction, design and development to Israel. In 1985, he opened Israel’s first enclosed shopping center in Ramat Gan, Israel  – the Canion Ayalon – setting off a revolution in the finance and retail industry.

1990

Changing the Tel-Aviv skyline

This decade g the Tel Aviv skyline changed forever with the development and construction of the Azrieli Center in 1998 – the iconic landmark of three buildings of comprising a circle, a triangle and a square, which were completed in 2008.

 

Over the years, David Azrieli  was actively involved in pursuing his love of architecture and education and  was instrumental in promoting and supporting studies in architecture in different countries.

A few of the educational and architectural programs associated with Mr. Azrieli (Z”l) are :  :

–                Chair in Architecture & Town Planning, Technion Institute of Technology.

–                Chair in Urban & Environmental Architecture, Tel Aviv University.

–                Established the First Graduate Scholarship at Concordia University, 1975.

  • Established the Azrieli Holocaust Library Collection, Concordia University, 1982.
  • Established the David J. Azrieli Institute for Graduate Studies in Architecture at Carleton University, 2000.
  • Established The Azrieli Integrated Center for the Advancement of Youth – A Project to prevent dropouts from High School.
  • Established The Azrieli Foundation Graduate Fellowship in Holocaust Studies at Concordia University, 2002.
  • The David Azrieli Architecture Student
  • The Architectural Archive.
  • The Azrieli School of Architecture at Tel- Aviv university.

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