Alan B. Slifka
Alan Bruce Slifka | |
|---|---|
| Born | 13 October 1929 Manhattan, New York City, U.S. |
| Died | 4 February 2011 (aged 81) |
| Occupation(s) | Financier, philanthropist |
| Known for | Co-founder of the Abraham Fund, founding chairman of the Big Apple Circus |
Alan Bruce Slifka (October 13, 1929 – February 4, 2011) was an American financier and philanthropist, recognized as a co-founder of the Abraham Fund and the inaugural chairman of the Big Apple Circus. He was originally from Manhattan, New York City.
Education
Born in New York City to Joseph Slifka, an entrepreneur in textiles and real estate development who passed away in 1992, Alan and his twin sister Barbara were initially educated at home by their mother, Sylvia, with a focus on ethical principles and peaceful coexistence. Beginning in fourth grade, they enrolled at the Ethical Culture Society's Fieldston School.
Slifka earned his undergraduate degree from Yale University in 1951, where he contributed to the business team of the campus humor publication Yale Record. He subsequently received an M.B.A. from Harvard University in 1953.
Professional background
Upon completing his studies at Harvard, Slifka embarked on a career at L.F. Rothschild & Company as a securities analyst. He remained with the firm for 32 years, rising to partner before launching his own investment company, which is currently known as Halcyon Asset Management.
Philanthropy
In 1977, Slifka took on the role of founding chairman for the New York School for Circus Arts, the nonprofit organization behind the Big Apple Circus. He was honored with the title of founding chairman emeritus in 1993. In acknowledgment of his principal donation to its capital campaign, the circus’s permanent creative facility in Walden, NY was named the Slifka Family Creative Center in 1995.
Together with sociologist Eugene Wiener, Slifka co-founded The Abraham Fund Initiatives in 1989 and served as its chairman. This organization is dedicated to promoting equality and coexistence between Arab and Jewish populations within Israel, striving to build an inclusive shared society.
In 2001, Slifka launched the Slifka Program on Intercommunal Coexistence at Brandeis University, which offers a master's degree focused on coexistence and conflict resolution to cultivate professional skills in this area. Additionally, he funded the Sylvia and Joseph Slifka Israeli Coexistence Scholarship at Brandeis, granted annually to one Jewish and one Arab Israeli committed to fostering coexistence.
For his leadership with The Abraham Fund Initiatives, Slifka received the Knesset Prize for Coexistence in 2000. Brandeis University conferred upon him an honorary doctorate in 2003.
Alan B. Slifka Foundation
Founded in New York in 1965, the Alan B. Slifka Foundation aims to encourage harmony between Jews and Arabs as well as among religious and secular communities within Israeli society. The foundation also supports Jewish cultural values, educational initiatives, and biomedical research focused on sarcomas and autism spectrum disorders.
Personal life
Alan Bruce Slifka was the son of Joseph Slifka, a businessman involved in textiles and real estate development, and had a twin sister named Barbara. He passed away from cancer on February 4, 2011, at age 81. At that time, he was married to Riva Ariella Ritvo-Slifka and had three sons from earlier marriages.
In 1992, Alan and Barbara inherited a 24-story office tower located at 477 Madison Avenue in Manhattan from their father. Following Alan’s death, his sons Randy and Michael became involved in a legal conflict with their aunt Barbara concerning ownership of the property. In 2017, Randy and Michael accused their aunt of attempting a hostile takeover; however, the lawsuit was dismissed. Randy pursued further legal action in 2023 seeking $37 million related to the building’s sale, but this case was also dismissed. Subsequently, Randy filed suit against law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison alleging that their counsel to Barbara deprived him and his brother of their portion of the $258 million sale proceeds. Paul Weiss characterized this claim as frivolous and noted that a nearly identical lawsuit had been previously rejected.