About Us

Our History

Fulfilling the philanthropic legacy of David J. Azrieli z”l, the Azrieli Foundation has been funding institutions as well as operating programs in Israel and Canada since 1989. Driven by a strong belief in the powerful role and responsibility of philanthropy, the foundation empowers and assists tens of thousands of people by supporting a broad range of organizations, facilitating innovative outcomes and increasing knowledge and understanding in the search for practical and novel solutions.

David Azrieli

David Azrieli z”l , was a committed and visionary philanthropist. As he once notably said in 2007, “I have been fortunate to be able to take what I have learned, earned and amassed and used it to help others. This is my vision: to be able to use the tangible rewards of my career in building and construction to create a legacy…in both of my two homelands.”

Today, David Azrieli’s philanthropic vision continues through the Azrieli Foundation, one of the largest philanthropic foundations in Canada and in Israel.

Childhood, Survival, Loss & Hope

Born in Maków-Mazowiecki, Poland, in 1922, David Azrieli was the second of four children of Sara-Chaya (née Gerwer) and Rafael Hirsch Azrylewicz. In September 1939, he escaped the Nazi occupation of his hometown by moving eastward into Soviet-occupied Poland. When Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, he fled further east always managing to stay just one step ahead of the Nazis.

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. He 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.

The Journey to a New Home

David Azrieli moved to Montreal in 1954, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts from the Université de Montréal (Thomas More Institute). He launched his career in design, real estate development and property management in 1957 with the modest construction of four duplexes in Montreal.

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

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“Genuine freedom is being able to do what you love to do. If you have to spend your life doing things you don’t love to do, you are no better than a slave. This then, is my message: do what you love to do.”

David Azrieli

Building a new life

In the early 1980s, 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 centre in Ramat Gan – the Canion Ayalon – setting off a revolution in the finance and retailing industry in the country. From there he continued until he forever changed the Tel Aviv skyline in 1998 when he opened the Azrieli Center – an iconic and striking landmark that is the largest mixed-use commercial complex in the Middle East.

Today, his creativity in building and design can be seen in imaginative office towers, hotels and shopping centres in Canada, the United States and Israel.

Lasting Legacy

David Azrieli’s unparalleled professional success in both Canada and Israel mirrored his deep love and devotion to both countries. “I have two homelands,” he once said, “two places I love and where I have been blessed to do what I love best. My opportunity to express myself professionally started in Canada and eventually let me fulfill my dream of making a contribution to my other homeland, Israel. The two have always been entwined.”

Personally and through the Azrieli Foundation (Canada-Israel), David Azrieli generously supported numerous initiatives, most notably in the fields of education, architecture and design, Holocaust education, developmental disabilities, scientific and medical research and the arts.

On Wednesday, July 9, 2014, David Azrieli, a member of the Order of Canada, l’Ordre national du Québec and Ne’eman Yealshal, died at the age of 92.

Today, the Azrieli Foundation continues and expands on his legacy.

Celebrating David Azrieli

1922

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February 4, 2018

David is born in Maków-Mazowiecki, Poland as the second of four children of Sara-Chaya and Rafael Hirsch Azrylewicz.

1939

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February 3, 2018

With German forces approaching, David takes leave of his family and escapes the Nazi occupation of his hometown by moving eastward into Soviet-occupied Poland.