About Sy Brenner

September 9, 2005—Tribute from Elaine Rosenblat, Waterfor, Michigan: Mickey Newman was my dearest cousin and Seymour Brenner is my dearest uncle. They are related and they both have given joy and love and support and loyalty and kindness to so very many people. They are both truly special and go more than the extra mile. I will always think of them with pride and love and I agree that these two men are both worthy of your award.

September 22, 2005—Tribute from Stephanie Newman, Farmington Hills, Michigan—I am writing to add information in tribute to my Great Uncle (literally and figuratively), Seymour "Sy" Brenner. My Uncle Seymour and Aunt Resa are long-time San Diegans, and I believe their residence in San Diego may have contributed to my parents' decision to move from Michigan to California. My earliest memories of Uncle Sy are his incredible sense of humor, which included accents so authentic, one would think he really hailed from, for example, Scotland. Uncle Seymour was the baby of the family, and he is the last survivor of some of the most wonderful people any one would ever want to meet: my great aunts and uncles, and my late grandmother, Clara Newman. He was always joking around with my late father, Mickey Newman, of blessed memory, and they spent a great deal of time together, primarily in later years, in my father's booth at DZ Aikens. My Uncle Sy is a life-long baseball fanatic who can tell stories about the Detroit Tigers dating back to the 1930's. His allegiance is now fervently with the Padres, and he loves to talk baseball. Uncle Seymour is a very humble World War II veteran, and was a POW who was recruited whilst in captivity to spy on the Germans. I am very proud of my Uncle, and I hope the efforts he has made in various speaking engagements have helped teach tolerance and compassion to our fellow man so all he endured should never happen to any one else. My daughter and I were very excited to see our Uncle interviewed on national television several years ago about his experiences, and he has written a book, too, that I hope will be published soon. Seymour Brenner is a very kind and gentle man who adores his family, and he has worked very hard in partnership with my Aunt Resa (maker of incredible apple sauce), and with great honor all his life.

-2006-
February 2006—"Donations," The Shofar, monthly newsletter of Tifereth Israel Synagogue, page 13. General Fund...Resa & Sy Brenner, in memory of Mickey Newman....

June 2007—Stephanie Newman, Sy's great niece, honors him on the World War II Memorial website