Ann Pappenheim Rosenberg

Ann was born on January 12, 1934, in Vienna to Maurice and Margit Pappenheim, who were leaders of the Viennese Jewish community. Shortly after Germany annexed Austria in 1938, Ann and her family fled to the United States to escape the horrors of the Nazi regime.

Ann lived in New York City until 1956, when she married Marcus Rosenberg and moved to Dallas, Texas. Over the next 50 years, Ann and Marcus helped build up, and became pillars of, the local Jewish community. They founded Congregation Shaare Tefilla and Akiba Academy of Dallas, the city’s first Jewish day school. The Rosenbergs also supported many other local, national, and international Jewish charities and institutions, including Jewish Family Service of Greater Dallas and the Aaron Family Jewish Community Center of Dallas; the Center for Jewish History in New York City; the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.; and Bar-Ilan University in Israel.

Ann was Marcus’s partner in all his philanthropic endeavors, but she also initiated or supported a wide range of her own charitable causes and programs that prioritized direct services that would make a meaningful impact on people. She established a support group for families grappling with breast cancer; enhanced and expanded the local kosher food pantry at JFS of Greater Dallas to ensure accessibility to kosher meat, especially for the Jewish holidays; and supported the senior citizen kosher lunch program at the Aaron Family JCC of Greater Dallas, including funding the building of a dairy kitchen there.

Ann’s dedication to philanthropy was matched only by her devotion to her family, friends, and neighbors. She will be remembered first and foremost for her generosity, kindness, wit, and passion for Herend dishes. A remarkable baker and excellent cook, Ann was the ultimate hostess and loved feeding her guests one (or more) of her signature dishes or desserts (vegetable soup, chicken paprikash, strawberry fluff, and marble cake). Ann possessed the unique ability to connect with and relate to people from all walks of life, regardless of age or background. Ann’s biggest sources of pride were her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, each of whom loved her deeply and affectionately referred to her as “Oma.”

Ann was preceded in death by her husband, Marcus, and her two beloved daughters, Margot Rosenberg Pulitzer and Sheri Rosenberg Kanter. She is survived by her children: Helen (Shami) Waldman, Steven (Ruthy) Rosenberg, and Lizzy (Jules) Greif and by her many adoring grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Funeral services for Ann were held on August 1, 2024, at Congregation Shaare Tefilla, followed by interment at Sparkman Hillcrest Memorial Park.

The Rosenberg family asks that those wishing to honor Ann’s memory consider donating to one of the following institutions: Akiba Yavneh Academy, Congregation Shaare Tefilla, Jewish Family Service of Greater Dallas, and Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem.