Moshe Safdie was born in Haifa, Israel to a Syrian Jewish family. His family moved to Montreal, Canada, in 1953. In 1959, Safdie married Nina Nusynowicz. The couple had two children, a daughter, and a son. His son Oren Safdie is a playwright who has written several plays about architecture including Private Jokes, Public Places. His daughter Taal is an architect in San Diego, a partner of the firm Safdie Rabines Architects.
In 1961, Safdie graduated from McGill University with a degree in architecture. In 1981, Safdie married Michal Ronnen, a photographer, with whom he has two daughters, Carmelle, and Yasmin. Carmelle Safdie is an artist, and Yasmin Safdie is a social worker. Safdie is the uncle of Dov Charney, founder, and former CEO of American Apparel.
Books in order of publication:
For Everyone a Garden – 1974
Form and Purpose – 1982
Beyond Habitat – 1986
Jerusalem: The Future of the Past – 1989
The City After The Automobile: An Architect’s Vision – 1997
Yad Vashem: MOSHE SAFDIE-The Architecture of Memory – 2006
If Walls Could Speak – 2022
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