In Memoriam: Sylvia Kay Hassenfeld, 1921-2014

Sylvia Hassenfeld, who was a longtime member of the board of trustees and financial supporter of Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, died in Palm Beach, Florida, on August 15. She was 93 years old.

Hassenfeld’s father-in-law, husband, and son all served as CEO of Hasbro, one of the world’s largest toy manufacturers. She led the family’s foundation and also was the first woman president of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee.

At Brandies University, the Hassenfeld Foundation endowed the Sylvia Hassenfeld Scholarships, the Sylvia Hassenfeld Chair in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, and the Hassenfeld Foundation Scholarship.

Sylvia Hassenfeld’s other activities in the academic world included service on the Advisory Committee of the Hopkins-Nanjing Center, a program jointly administered by Johns Hopkins University and Nanjing University in China. She also served on the board of New York University’s Langone Medical Center.

Hassenfeld was a native of Philadelphia. She was a graduate of Cedar Crest College in Allentown, Pennsylvania.