WJC mourns passing of its Honorary Vice President George Weidenfeld, 96

The World Jewish Congress (WJC) mourns the passing of its Honorary Vice President Lord George Weidenfeld. The British publisher and philanthropist passed away in the early hours of Tuesday morning at the age of 96. WJC President Ronald S. Lauder said Weidenfeld had been “a truly outstanding man and one of the most inspiring figures of the 20th century.”

Ronald S. Lauder declared: “I am deeply saddened that George has left us. He had great wisdom, and until his death was a friend who always gave me valuable advice. Until the end, his mind was as sharp as ever, and he never retired.

“George managed to squeeze several lifetimes into one. He grew up in Vienna and fled in 1938 when the Nazis took power in Austria. He and his loved ones were saved by a Christian family, and he quickly landed a job at the BBC in London because he spoke so many languages fluently.

“George never forgot what Christians had done to save him, and only a few months ago, he set up a foundation to rescue thousands of persecuted Christians in the Middle East. He said he had a debt to repay, and he meant it.

“After Israel’s independence in 1948, he briefly served as chief of staff to Israel’s first President Chaim Weizmann, and he then became one of Britain’s great book publishers. George truly knew everybody, and he always showed an immense interest in people and in what they had to say. He lived and enjoyed life to the full, and in even in the face of adversity, he never lost his sense of humor.

“George Weidenfeld was also a committed philanthropist, an advocate of the Jewish people and a life-long Zionist who always defended Israel against attacks and unfair criticism. There are very few people in today’s world who have the courage and the temerity to speak out when they see injustice. George was one of them.

“In 1987, when I served as US ambassador in Austria, George stood with me in Vienna and he explained to the world that the Austrians had not been Hitler’s first victims but many were some of the fiercest Nazis. George did not forget what he had witnessed in Vienna in the 1930s. 

“He knew right from wrong. Throughout his life, he strove to ensure that good will triumph over evil. He will be greatly missed.

“Our thoughts today are with his wife Annabelle and his children and grandchildren. May they be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.”

George Weidenfeld was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1969 and given a life peerage in the House of Lords in 1976. Last April, he was awarded the WJC’s Theodor Herzl Award in London and became an honorary vice-president of the World Jewish Congress.

Photo: Shahar Azran