Fern Steinfeld

She was a pioneering journalist and a devoted Army wife, mother, and grandmother–and Fern Steinfeld was also an inextricable partner in philanthropy with her husband, the late Manny Steinfeld.

Steinfeld died August 28 at age 99.

“Anyone who knew Fern was captivated by her intelligence, warmth and energy,” said JUF Executive Vice Chairman Dr. Steven B. Nasatir. “And anyone who knew her and Manny knew that they were inseparable. She was not only the love of her husband’s life, she was also his partner in all things.”

Steinfeld graduated from Northwestern University’s prestigious Medill School of Journalism at a time when few Jews–and perhaps even fewer woman–were admitted. She went on to work at what was then called the Daily Southtown , the largest community newspaper in Illinois, where she both covered the police blotter and wrote features. Steinfeld then moved to what is now known as the Illinois Institute of Technology Research Institute, one of the first not-for-profit research laboratories in the U.S., where she did editorial work.

Active in JUF Women’s Philanthropy, Steinfeld also was a founding intergenerational trustee of the Jewish Women’s Foundation, where she served in multiple leadership roles. She also was active at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center.

Together, she and her husband of 70 years were Golden Givers to the JUF Annual Campaign and contributed generously to the JUF Centennial Campaign.

The Steinfelds were founders of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. They also endowed the Hospitality & Tourism School at Roosevelt University and a chair at Weitzmann Institute in Israel; established the Judaic Studies program at the University of Tennessee; and funded a gallery at the Art Institute of Chicago.

The couple awarded more than 500 scholarships at the University of Tennessee, Roosevelt University, Illinois Institute of Technology, and Brandeis University.

Manny’s brother, Naftali, died fighting in Israel’s War of Independence, and in his memory, the Steinfelds built the Naftali Steinfeld Education Center in Israel and a Youth Center in the Steinfeld family’s hometown of Josbach, Germany.

In memory of their grandson Danny, they established Danny Cunniff Park in Highland Park, Danny Cunniff Memorial Playground for Jewish Youth Services, Danny Cunniff Leukemia Research Laboratory at Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem, and Leukemia Research at St. Jude in Memphis, Tennessee.