Stanley Roth AM

Jewish community leader Stanley Roth AM has died suddenly, leaving a legacy shaped by community service, philanthropy and a lifelong commitment to Jewish and civic life.

Stanley Roth was born in Sydney in 1953 to Jewish refugee parents who fled Europe before World War II. His father, Henry Roth, escaped the rising persecution in Europe and arrived in Australia before the war, where he went on to build a successful retail and property investment business. That experience strongly influenced Stanley Roth’s values and his enduring sense of responsibility to community and country.

He trained as a lawyer and became a partner at Blake Dawson Waldron, where he practised from 1977 to 1992. In 1993, following his father’s death, he left legal practice to join his brother John in managing the family business, Henroth Investments. Together, the brothers oversaw and expanded the extensive property portfolio built by their father over three decades.

While their father’s success was based on long-term, carefully chosen property investments, the brothers adopted a more entrepreneurial approach. They pursued development opportunities and partnerships, including a joint redevelopment of a shopping centre in Chullora in collaboration with Woolworths. Stanley Roth remained closely involved in the family business as a director while maintaining a strong focus on philanthropy and community life.

The Roth family continued their father’s charitable work through the Henry R Roth Charitable Foundation, which supports a wide range of causes. The foundation has provided funding to University of Sydney, the Sydney Children’s Hospital, Moriah College and numerous other charitable organisations.

Alongside his business career, Roth was widely respected for his decades of service to the Jewish community. For more than forty years, he was deeply involved in Jewish and Zionist philanthropy, particularly through the United Israel Appeal and its global partner Keren Hayesod.

He began fundraising for Keren Hayesod in 1979 and later chaired major campaigns in New South Wales and nationally. He was appointed Honorary Life President of United Israel Appeal Australia and received the organisation’s Yakir Award in recognition of his long-standing leadership and service.

In a statement following his death, the Zionist Council of NSW described him as a deeply respected community stalwart, known for his Jewish and Zionist strength and principle, and for giving tirelessly of his time, resources and wisdom to support communal life. It said his dedication to both the UIA and the Zionist Council had a lasting and meaningful impact.

In recent years, Roth co-chaired key initiatives like the Australian Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism, highlighting his ongoing commitment to combating prejudice and supporting the Jewish community amid rising challenges.

His contribution to community and public life was formally recognised with his appointment as a Member of the Order of Australia, awarded for service to the community and philanthropy.

Tributes following his passing have reflected the high regard in which he was held. He is remembered as a generous, principled and caring man whose commitment to strengthening communal institutions will continue to be felt for generations.

Stanley Roth is survived by his wife Charmaine, their three children, and seven grandchildren (with an eighth on the way) and the wider Roth family, themselves long involved in and committed to communal life.

Funeral arrangements will be announced in due course.

May his memory be a blessing.