Joseph Sternberg
Hungarian-Jewish antiquarian and father of Sir Sigmund Sternberg
| Joseph Sternberg | |
|---|---|
| Image | |
| Born | Hungary |
| Died | c. 1935 Budapest, Hungary |
| Nationality | Hungarian |
| Residence | |
| Occupation | Antiquarian bookseller / dealer |
| Known for | Father of philanthropist Sir Sigmund Sternberg |
| Parents | |
| Spouse(s) | Rosa Sternberg (née Hirschler or similar) |
| Children | Sir Sigmund Sternberg (1921–2016) and at least one daughter |
| Sibling(s) | |
| Website | |
Joseph Sternberg was a Hungarian-Jewish antiquarian bookseller based in Budapest in the interwar period. He is primarily known as the father of the British philanthropist and interfaith campaigner Sir Sigmund Sternberg (1921–2016).
Life and family
Joseph Sternberg and his wife Rosa Sternberg (née Hirschler) raised their family in an Orthodox Jewish environment in Budapest. Sigmund was their elder child and only son. Joseph died when Sigmund was approximately 14 years old (around 1935), leaving the young Sigmund to take on early family responsibilities.[1]
The family belonged to the Kazinczy Street Synagogue in Budapest. After Joseph’s death, the Sternberg family reportedly faced increasing antisemitism in Hungary, which eventually prompted Sigmund to leave for Britain in 1939.
Legacy
Joseph Sternberg is remembered through his son’s extensive philanthropic and interfaith work, which spanned Britain and international Jewish communal life. Sir Sigmund frequently referenced his Hungarian roots and the values instilled by his parents in interviews and writings.
Family
Family tree (simplified, showing known direct line and siblings):
- Joseph Sternberg (father of Sir Sigmund)
- Rosa Sternberg (mother of Sir Sigmund)
- Sir Sigmund Sternberg (2 June 1921 – 18 October 2016), philanthropist and interfaith campaigner
- m1. (1949–1969) Ruth Schiff (divorced; died c. 1999)
- Michael Vivian Sternberg KC (b. 1948), family law barrister and President of the Faith & Belief Forum. Michael Vivian Sternberg KC (born 1948) is married to Marliese Sternberg (née Levinson).[2]
- Daniel Isaiah Sternberg (b. September 1982), District Judge (Magistrates' Courts) and former Honorary Lawyer of The Liberal Jewish Synagogue
- Frances Aviva Blane, contemporary artist
- Michael Vivian Sternberg KC (b. 1948), family law barrister and President of the Faith & Belief Forum. Michael Vivian Sternberg KC (born 1948) is married to Marliese Sternberg (née Levinson).[2]
- m2. (1970–2014) Hazel Everett-Jones (widow of Sigmund’s cousin Victor Sternberg; died May 2014)
- Ruth Tamir (née Sternberg), trustee of the Sir Sigmund Sternberg Charitable Foundation. Married to Noam Tamir (also a trustee)
- David Sternberg
Sir Sigmund’s sister or close relative through the Perlman line, Suzanne Perlman, was frequently present at family events and memorials.
See also
Sir Sigmund Sternberg Michael Vivian Sternberg Daniel Isiah Sternberg
References
- ↑ The Jewish Chronicle, Obituary: Sir Sigmund Sternberg The Jewish Chronicle, 20 October 2016.
- ↑ https://www.freebmd2.org.uk/69d2c0bf86557472920bc0c6/entry-information/270445735/daniel-isaiah-sternberg-birth-greater-london-from-jun1965-camden-v14-p1854?locale=en&search_entry=270445735