Charlotte Klein
Charlotte Feuerstein Klein died age 83 on May 9 in Rockville. Born in Melrose, Mass., she was graduated from Boston University and lived mostly in the Boston area until 1970, when she moved to the Washington area. In her early years she helped found the Syracuse Hebrew Day School, and taught in New York and Massachusetts. Throughout her life she was involved in Orthodox congregations wherever she lived. Charlotte was passionate about the arts, and an active member of the Kennedy Center, the Smithsonian, the Phillips Collection and many other cultural institutions in Washington. Predeceased by her husband Philipp H. Klein, she is survived by her sister Miriam Teplow of Jerusalem, sons Joshua of Rehovot, Daniel of Washington, and Jonathan of Atlanta, and five grandchildren.

German Parliamentarian Philipp Missfelder
Phillip Missfelder, a German politician and a member of the German Bundestag who advocated for increased ties with Israel and the Jewish community, died on July 13 at the age of 35. The cause of death is believed to be a pulmonary embolism.

A leading member of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ruling Christian Democratic Union, Missfelder was the party’s foreign policy spokesperson since 2009, gaining a reputation for his pro-Israel stance.

“Philipp Missfelder was a dear friend of the U.S., of Israel and of the Jewish people,” said Deidre Berger, director of the AJC Berlin Ramer Institute for German-Jewish Relations, in a press release. “His untimely death is a great loss for the Christian Democratic Union, for the German Parliament, for the community of democratic values, and for AJC, which had a very close working relationship with him.”

Missfelder addressed the 2014 AJC Global Forum in Washington on Germany’s role on the world stage. He regularly visited AJC Berlin and AJC headquarters in New York, speaking on anti-Semitism, Iran’s nuclear program, terrorism and challenges to democracy.

“Philipp’s engagement was a welcome demonstration of the continuity of German-Jewish relations. May his memory be an inspiration for others in his generation and beyond,” said Berger.

— WJW Staff

Julia Marmorstein
Julia Marmorstein, 73, of Reston passed away on June 20.

Born in New Jersey, she grew up in Cincinnati and trained to be a dental hygienist at Ohio State University. After the birth of her own children, she advocated for breastfeeding mothers, leading a five-state region for Le Leche League. Later, she worked with other educational innovators to found an elementary school focused on individualized instruction and learning by doing. In the 90s, she returned to dental hygiene and ran a small business specializing in wedding invitations and personalized stationary.

During many of her 30 years living in Reston, she was a tireless volunteer at South Lakes High School, starting traditions like the All Night Graduation Party in 1987, and helping found the SLHS PTSA Academic Boosters, which pioneered programs like the B.U.G. (Bringing Up Grades) roll and varsity letters for academic achievement. After a battle with cancer in 2000, she was a regular at Reston’s Relay for Life events.

Marmorstein is survived by her husband Andrew, children Jack and Naomi, brothers August Boss and Richard Boss and grandchildren Pillipa, Sadie and Jonah.

Herman Miller
On July 7, Herman Miller, 94, of Cave Creek, Ariz.

Dr. Miller was an economic statistician who worked for the Bureau of the Census in Suitland from 1946 until approximately 1971. He was chief of the Population Division of the Census Bureau at the time of the 1970 census. After retiring from the federal government, Dr. Miller had a second career as an expert witness in wrongful death and wrongful injury legal cases in the Washington area until 2004 when he retired.

Dr. Miller was a member of the American Statistical Association for 50 years and was a fellow in that organization. He was the author of three books and numerous articles. He was a member of Har Tzeon Synagogue in Wheaton for approximately 50 years.

Dr. Miller was the cherished brother of Murray Miller (Bee), father of June Miller Lipsky (Roy) of New York and Judith Miller Glasser (John Spiegel) of Silver Spring; grandfather of Debbie Lipsky Williams (Ken), Binyamin Lipsky (Robyn), Dan Glasser (Laura) and Becca Glasser; great grandfather of 11 children. Dr. Miller is also survived by his loving partner and devoted caretaker of 10 years, Theresa Nguyen of Phoenix, and her family.

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E.L. Doctorow
Photo via Wikimedia Commons

American Jewish author E.L. Doctorow, who wrote the novel “Ragtime,” died at age 84.

Doctorow died of complications from lung cancer Tuesday in Manhattan, according to the New York Times. Author of a dozen novels as well as assorted other works, Doctorow primarily wrote historical fiction. “Ragtime,” published in 1975, is set in New York in the lead-up to World War I and includes characters like Sigmund Freud and the anarchist Emma Goldman. His works spanned periods from the Civil War to the present day.

Doctorow won the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction and the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction. He was a finalist for the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize. Among his other prominent works are “Billy Bathgate,” “The Book of Daniel” and “The March.” Several of his books have been adapted into films.
Doctorow was born in 1931 in the Bronx to Jewish immigrants from Russia. He told the Kenyon Review that he grew up surrounded by talented Jewish refugees who had fled Nazi Germany. He attended Kenyon College and published his first novel, “Welcome to Hard Times,” in 1960. He lived in New York City.

Doctorow is survived by his wife, three children and four grandchildren

Theodore Bikel at the 55th Annual Drama Desk Awards in New York City, May 23, 2010. Photo via JTA

Theodore Bikel, an actor and folk singer who was recognized in 1997 with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Foundation for Jewish Culture, has died at 91.

Bikel, who won fame playing Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof,” doing more performances of the role than any other actor, died of natural causes on Tuesday morning at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, according to Hollywood Reporter.

Born in Vienna, Bikel fled Austria at age 13 with his family after the 1938 Nazi Anschluss. The family settled in prestate Palestine, and in 1946 Bikel went to London to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatics Arts.

In his autobiography, according to Variety, he expressed regret about not returning to Israel to fight in the 1948 War of Independence: “A few of my contemporaries regarded what I did as a character flaw, if not a downright act of desertion. In me, there remains a small, still voice, that asks whether I can ever fully acquit myself in my own mind.”

Bikel moved to the United States in 1954 to appear on Broadway in “Tonight in Samarkand,” becoming a U.S. citizen in 1961. Also on Broadway, he played Captain Georg Von Trapp in the first Broadway production of “The Sound of Music.” During his career, Bikel appeared on stage, film and television in musicals, dramas and comedies.

In 1958 he was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in “The Defiant Ones,” and in 1959 he co-founded the Newport Folk Festival with Pete Seeger and George Wein.

Tevye was not Bikel’s only Jewish role. In 2007 he was nominated for the Drama Desk Award for outstanding solo performance in “Sholom Aleichem: Laughter Through Tears.”

Many of Bikel’s 27 albums featured Hebrew and Yiddish folk music.

Related: Washington Jewish Week interview with Theodore Bikel

Theodore Bikel attending a film festival in Hollywood, California, April 25, 2013.
Via JTA

Theodore Bikel, Tevye in ‘Fiddler on the Roof’

Theodore Bikel, an actor and folk singer who was recognized in 1997 with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Foundation for Jewish Culture, has died at 91.

Bikel, who won fame playing Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, doing more performances of the role than any other actor, died July 21 of natural causes at the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Born in Vienna, Bikel fled Austria at age 13 with his family after the 1938 Nazi Anschluss. The family settled in prestate Palestine, and in 1946 Bikel went to London to study at the Royal Academy of
Dramatics Arts.

In his autobiography, according to Variety, he expressed regret about not returning to Israel to fight in the 1948 War of Independence: “A few of my contemporaries regarded what I did as a character flaw, if not a downright act of desertion. In me, there remains a small, still voice, that asks whether I can ever fully acquit myself in my own mind.”

Bikel moved to the United States in 1954 to appear on Broadway in Tonight in Samarkand, becoming a U.S. citizen in 1961. Also on Broadway, he played Captain Georg Von Trapp in the first Broadway production of The Sound of Music.

In 1958 he was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in The Defiant Ones, and in 1959 he co-founded the Newport Folk Festival.

Along with his arts work, Bikel was active in many left-wing causes, from the civil rights movement to the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa to the Soviet Jewry movement to progressive Zionism and the Democratic Party. He was a longtime board member of the American Jewish Congress.

Bikel also was a labor activist, serving as president of Actors Equity Association for 11 years and as the longtime president of the AFL-CIO-affiliated Actors & Artistes of America.

In a 2007 interview with Hadassah Magazine, Bikel linked his activism to his experience living through the Anschluss, the Nazi invasion of Austria in 1938.

“It became clear that I would never ever put myself in the place of the nice people next door who said ‘It’s not my fight,’” he said. “It’s always my fight. Whenever I see an individual or group singled out for persecution, there’s a switch thrown in my mind — and they become Jews.”

In 2013, at an event marking the 75th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the Austrian government honored Bikel with its highest honor in the arts. As a finale, Bikel asked the distinguished audience to rise as he sang the “Song of the Partisans” in Yiddish.

Many of Bikel’s 27 albums featured Hebrew and Yiddish folk music — two languages that he spoke fluently, along with German, French and English. In a 2013 interview, he said that of all his accomplishments he was proudest of “presenting the songs of my people, songs of pain and songs of hope.”

In the same interview, Bikel said he had planned the inscription for his tombstone — “He Was the Singer of His People” — in Yiddish.

— JTA News & Features

E.L. Doctorow

E.L. Doctorow
Via msu.edu

American Jewish author E.L. Doctorow, who wrote the novel Ragtime, died at age 84.

Doctorow died of complications from lung cancer July 21 in Manhattan, according to the New York Times. Author of a dozen novels as well as assorted other works, Doctorow primarily wrote historical fiction. Ragtime, published in 1975, is set in New York in the lead-up to World War I and includes characters like Sigmund Freud and the anarchist Emma Goldman. His works spanned periods from the Civil War to the present day.

Doctorow won the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction and the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction. He was a finalist for the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize. Among his other prominent works are Billy Bathgate, The Book of Daniel and The March. Several of his books have been adapted into films.

Doctorow was born in 1931 in the Bronx to Jewish immigrants from Russia. He told the Kenyon Review that he grew up surrounded by talented Jewish refugees who had fled Nazi Germany. He attended Kenyon College and published his first novel, Welcome to Hard Times, in 1960. He lived in New York City.

Doctorow is survived by his wife, three children and four grandchildren.

— JTA News & Features

­­Rita Snow

On July 23, Rita Snow, 79, of Potomac. A graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park, Snow was a realtor for 30 years and a member of Congregation Har Shalom. Daughter of Henry and Clara Mueller, both deceased, and wife of Dr. M. Leonard Snow, also deceased. She is survived by four sons: Dr. Daniel E. Snow (Linda Silverman) of Potomac, Dr. Jeffrey L. (Dr. Catherine) Snow of Raleigh, NC, S. David Snow of Potomac, Stanley H. (Nina) Snow of Potomac; sister Mae Weiss of Silver Spring; brother Abraham Mueller of Shady Side, MD; and six grandchildren: Michael, Craig, Lauren, Max, Samantha and Jake Snow.

Neely Tal Snyder
Photo via Pearlstone Center

Neely Snyder, program director at the Pearlstone Center, was killed in a car crash Monday morning in Route 30 in Reisterstown, outside of Baltimore. She was 37.

According to police, Snyder’s Hyundai was stopped on Route 30 waiting to make a left turn onto Mount Gilead Road when a Peterbilt tractor trailer struck the car from behind. Police responded to the crash at 7:28 a.m. She was transported to the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, where she was later declared deceased. The driver of the tractor trailer was not injured.

At press time, the Baltimore County Crash Team was investigating to determine if charges will be filed.

When contacted, the Baltimore County Police Department had no further information on the incident.

Snyder was a graduate of the Jewish Theological Seminary and program director at the Pearlstone Center. She had also served as director of teen engagement at the Center for Jewish Education.

In a statement on the organization’s Facebook page, the Pearlstone Center remembered Snyder’s life as “one of dedication to excellence in Jewish education and of passionate commitment to her community.”

Pearlstone Executive Director Jakir Manela said everyone at Pearlstone is heartbroken, and during sessions with a grief counselor on Monday, employees in every department of Pearlstone spoke about how Snyder treated everyone with love and affection.

Snyder is survived by her husband, Rabbi Joshua Snyder, executive director of Goucher Hillel; her daughters Shalva, Ayelet and Nava; her parents Jordan and Sheila Harburger of Gaithersburg; and her brother Noah Harburger and sister Aleeza Wilkins.

Funeral services were held Wednesday. Interment at Chizuk Amuno Congregation’s Garrison Forest Cemetery in Owings Mills.

Contributions may be sent to Goucher Hillel, 1021 Dulaney Valley Rd., Towson, MD 21204 or Pearlstone Center, 5425 Mount Gilead Rd., Reisterstown, MD 21136 or JQ Baltimore, 1601 Guilford Ave., 2 South, Baltimore, MD 21202.

Congregation B’nai Tzedek is saddened to announce the passing of Adeline Ginsberg, mother of Dalbert (Nancy) Ginsberg, grandmother of Adam (Melissa), Jonathan and Drew (Jessica) Ginsberg and great-grandmother of Cole Ginsberg. The funeral took place at the Danzansky Goldberg Chapel, 1170 Rockville Pike, on Tuesday Aug. 11. Interment at Mt. Lebanon Cemetery in Adelphi. The family is observing shiva at the home of Dalbert’s brother and sister-in-law, Stanley and Ethel Ginsberg, 150 Chevy Chase Street, #303, Gaithersburg, from Wednesday through Sunday, Aug. 12 through Aug. 16, with a minyan each evening (except Friday) at 7:30 pm. May the memory of Adeline Ginsberg be for a blessing.

Goldie Steinberg celebrating her 112th birthday on Jan. 13, 2013.
Screenshot: YouTube

Goldie Steinberg, reportedly the world’s oldest known Jewish person, died at age 114.

Steinberg, according to Chabad.org, the Chabad-Lubavitch movement’s news site, died Sunday at the Grandell Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Long Beach, New York. She was two months away from her 115th birthday.

Steinberg was born in 1900, one of eight siblings. As a child, she survived the 1903 Kishinev pogrom, in what is now Moldova, in which 49 Jews died and 500 were injured over two days.

In 1923, she moved to the United States. Steinberg lived in New York City, where she married and had two children. She worked as a seamstress until retiring at age 80, and lived independently until age 104.

“My grandmother’s life — surviving the pogroms, losing siblings in the Holocaust — it was a history lesson,” said Peter Kutner, Steinberg’s grandson, according to Chabad.org. “She was a very selfless person; she always thought of others.”

Steinberg is survived by her two children, four grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

— JTA News & Features

Leonard David Baker (Lenny) of Brooklyn, N.Y., Toledo, Ohio and Hamilton, New Jersey died August 13 at the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington in Rockville. Beloved husband of Irene Baker, cherished father of Ronni (Jonathan) Arden and Steve (Beth) Baker. Loving step-grandfather of Benjamin, Rebecca and Rachel Arden and Jeremy and Andrea Rosen. Devoted baby brother of the late Bernard Baker, the late Ethel Gordon and Beatrice Selby. Adored uncle and great uncle of his nieces and nephews, and surrogate grandfather. He was greatly loved and respected by family and friends. Memorial contributions may be made to Hebrew Home of Greater Washington, the Lewy Bodies Dementia Association, or the Bikur Cholim of Cleveland.

On July 2, Beatrice Kleiman of Fairfax, (formerly of Silver Spring) passed peacefully at her home. She was the beloved wife of (the Late) Irving Kleiman; dear mother of Pauline (Maurice) Coderre and George (MaryAnn) Kleiman; devoted sister of (the Late) Dorothy Lesser and (the Late) Marvin Glander. Also survived by grandchildren, Pamela Rosenstein (Roy Wilson), Nora and Owen Kleiman; great-granddaughter, Maya Wilson; step-grandchildren, Carolyn (Dave) Askew, Paul and David Coderre; step-great-granddaughters, Lindsey and Rachel Askew. Interment will take place at Arlington National Cemetery on Tuesday, August 25, at 10 a.m. Memorial contributions may be made to a charity of your choice, The Wounded Warrior Project or The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington.

Lenny “Batman” Robinson

Leonard “Lenny” Robinson, known to many as Batman due to his dedication to visiting hospitalized children while dressed as the superhero, died Aug. 16. He was 51. Robinson had stopped his car on the shoulder of Interstate 70 near Hagerstown, Md., to check on apparent engine trouble, when a Toyota Camry hit his Lamborghini Batmobile, which then hit him. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Robinson, an Owings Mills resident who volunteered hundreds of hours and spent tens of thousands of dollars each year bringing happiness to ill children and their parents, was well-known in the halls of LifeBridge Sinai Hospital.

“The amazing thing about Lenny is that he used the Batman costume and the car to form a bond with kids; their eyes would light up, and the adults too,” said Dr. John Herzenberg, director of the International Center for Limb Lengthening at Sinai. “But the real contribution was Lenny; his humanity, his beautiful kindness, his generosity and his complete lack of guile. He was just a sincere, honest, caring man.”

Herzenberg, who knew Robinson from his visits to the pediatric ward and his regular attendance at — and support of — charity events for more than a decade, said Robinson was “inspired by the children as much as they were inspired by him,” and also quite humble, always deflecting any praise he received back to the kids, who Robinson referred to as “the real heroes.”

Marilyn Richardson, child-life specialist and pediatric liaison at Sinai, said Robinson made a world of difference in children’s lives.

“He was just amazing, he knew the kids personally; it was more than just a one-time visit. He knew them by name, he acknowledged them and loved them and gave them courage,” Richardson said, adding,

“When Batman came to see you, that changed everything.”

Robinson was also an anti-bullying advocate.

Richardson recalled that one young patient, who knew Batman from hospital visits and other charity events, told her schoolmates that “she knew Batman and he was her friend.” Her classmates teased her about the claim and called her a liar, which made her sad. When Robinson learned of the situation, “he showed up at school to prove them wrong. Then she became the star,” Richardson said.

Stacy Fox Crain met Robinson long before he took on the Batman persona. At about age 12, she moved onto the block where Robinson was her neighbor. Crain recalled that the Batman persona began when one of his sons became fascinated with the character as a little boy.

He started showing up at birthday parties dressed as the superhero, and soon after, his living and dining room was “packed with Batman regalia that he would give away” to kids.

Whoever requested him, whether for a birthday or at a hospital, “there was nothing that Lenny — or Batman — wouldn’t do for you. … He was a hero even before he dressed up,” Crain said.

Robinson was always doing favors for neighbors, too, even giving rides to Crain’s mother and grandmother when her grandfather was having heart surgery. And “if your house flooded, he was the first one there.”

Shua Bier, an attorney in Pikesville, met Batman when his daughter spent her first three months of life in Sinai’s neonatal unit. He saw him once again at Race for Our Kids, a fundraising event for the children’s hospital. “Whatever extra time and resources he had, he used for good. With my limited interaction, I could see he was a very special individual.”

Robinson’s selflessness was a big part of his character, whether in or out of costume.

“In that way he was a real hero,” said Herzenberg. “Anyone can put on a costume and drive a car, but only Lenny could do it with the feeling and emotion and caring of the kids and what they were going through.”

Robinson was the father of Justin, Brandon and Jake Robinson; son of Larry D. and Ilona M. Robinson (nee Mermelstein); brother of Scott (Jodi) Robinson and Michelle Robinson (Jeffrey Stroller);  uncle of Marissa, Amanda and Lindsay Brook Robinson.

Contributions in his memory may be sent to Superheroes for Kids, c/o Marilyn Richardson (RIAO), Sinai Hospital, 1500 W. Belvedere Ave., Baltimore, MD 21215.

Former Maryland Gov. Marvin Mandel

Former Maryland Gov. Marvin Mandel, the state’s first and only Jewish governor, died Sunday afternoon, according to reports.

One of Maryland’s most prolific political figures, Mandel served as governor from 1969 until 1977, when he was convicted and jailed for racketeering and mail fraud charges. His sentence was later commuted and his conviction overturned.

Gov. Larry Hogan said Maryland lost a great leader and someone that he and many others considered a friend.

“I will be forever grateful for the advice, wisdom and stories Gov. Mandel has shared with me throughout the years,” Hogan said in a statement. “No other governor has had the lasting impact on all three branches of Maryland government and while he held elective office for 28 years, he dedicated his life to making our state a better place to live.”

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake also expressed her condolences.

“I know that Gov. Mandel will be remembered for many accomplishments during his time in state government, particularly the instrumental role he played in developing and promoting public transit in our region,” she said. “I will fondly remember his love of state and local politics and the stories he would share. My thoughts and prayers are with Gov. Mandel’s family.”

Mandel, Maryland’s 56th governor, is credited with reorganizing the state’s executive branch into departments with supervising secretaries, revamping the court system, establishing mass transit and dedicating resources to school construction.

In May, Mandel celebrated his 95th birthday at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel in an event that featured tributes from Hogan, former Gov. Bob Ehrlich, former Rep. Kweisi Mfume, U.S. House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, House of Delegates Speaker Michael Busch and state Senate President Thomas V. “Mike” Miller, among others.

Oliver Sacks
Photo via oliversacks.com

Dr. Oliver Sacks, a noted neurologist and the best-selling author of “Awakenings,” has died.

Sacks died Sunday of cancer at his home in New York City, according to The New York Times. He was 82.

He gained prominence from his work as a clinical neurologist, as well as from the books he wrote based on his patients’ cases.

“Awakenings,” which was published in 1973, was about a group of patients with encephalitis and was turned into a popular film in 1990 starring the late Robin Williams and Robert De Niro.

Sacks wrote more than a dozen books. Another noteworthy work was 1986’s “The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat,” about a patient who could not interpret what he saw. Some of the books were memoirs or dealt with music and the mind.

A London native, Sacks moved to New York as a young man. For decades he worked at Yeshiva University’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine before moving on to Columbia and New York universities.

Sacks was raised an Orthodox Jew but was not observant as an adult. He did write about Jewish subjects, including a 2015 essay in The New York Times called “Sabbath.”

“And now, weak, short of breath, my once-firm muscles melted away by cancer, I find my thoughts, increasingly, not on the supernatural or spiritual, but on what is meant by living a good and worthwhile life — achieving a sense of peace within oneself,” he wrote in the essay’s final paragraph. “I find my thoughts drifting to the Sabbath, the day of rest, the seventh day of the week, and perhaps the seventh day of one’s life as well, when one can feel that one’s work is done, and one may, in good conscience, rest.”

Sacks is survived by his partner.

— JTA News & Features

Matthew Shlonsky pictured, left, with U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio).
Photo courtesy of U.S. Sen. Rob Portman’s office

Matthew Castro Shlonsky, 23, a graduate of American University and an assistant teacher at Washington Hebrew Congregation, was killed by a stray bullet in Washington on Aug. 15. The Cleveland native had just exited a cab near the Shaw-Howard University Metro station around 5 p.m. when he was shot. He was taken to a hospital where he died from the wounds.

Marcus King, 19, admitted to police that he accidently shot Shlonsky, according to a charging document.

Shlonsky interned in Ohio Sen. Rob Portman’s office until May 2013 and was working as a business analyst at the time of his death. He had served as a Hebrew tutor and homework aide at Washington Hebrew Congregation.

Stephanie Tankel, director of religious school education at Washington Hebrew, worked with Shlonsky in the religious school and remembered him as a “warm kid with a spectacular attitude” who was “adored by all of the students” in the school.

“They looked at him like some sort of celebrity or superhero — but that never went to his head. His ego was never on the forefront when he worked with kids,” she recalled. “Much of the work he did was with kids who needed additional assistance reading Hebrew. He was quick to develop friendships with the other teachers and staff members. He was thoughtful, remembering birthdays and noticing haircuts.”

She said that after working with Shlonsky for a year she recommended him to her husband Stephen Tankel, an assistant professor in the School of International Service at American University. Shlonsky worked on several research projects there.

The professor said he was impressed with Shlonsky as a person, describing him as “smart, motivated and easy to work with,” attributes that led to his recruitment on a research project tracking terrorist activity in Pakistan.

“The product he delivered was incredibly well organized, and Matt showed a diligence rarely found in undergrad or grad students,” he remembered.

“Matt had very well informed views for a person his age and was not shy about expressing them, but he was also open to new ideas and always interested in other people’s points of view,” he said.

Rabbi Harold Saul White
Photo by Michael Hoyt

Rabbi Harold Saul White, a chaplain and teacher at Georgetown University, a Freedom Fighter in the civil rights movement and the rabbi at Interfaith Families Project of Greater Washington for the past 10 years, died Aug. 31 following a stroke. He was 83.

He was the first rabbi to be hired by a Catholic university in the United States, according to Georgetown University. He was appointed as Georgetown’s Jewish chaplain in 1968. He continued to teach at the university, located in Washington, for 41 years. There is a Harold White Chair in Jewish Civilization at Georgetown.

“He was an extraordinary guy,” said Triana Leonard, a member of Interfaith Families Project. “He just enriched everyone he met.”

White “had boundless energy for someone in their 80s,” she said. “He wasn’t restricted by convention or tradition.”

Leonard particularly appreciated that White “could sit down on the floor with little kids and engage them, and listen to them, and teach them as well as he taught the adults.”

In April, White had a second bar mitzvah ceremony at Temple Emanuel in Kensington. Although there was no music permitted at his first bar mitzvah, White made sure the more recent celebration was different. Music by a gospel choir, Jewish liturgy and even the Beatles was played, Leonard said.

“His ability to find the good in everything, and the connection between religion and people was just incredible. We will grieve him for a long time,” said Leonard.

“Rabbi White’s devotion to our shared values and our mission as a community was unparalleled,” President John DeGioia, said in a statement. “His leadership and vision in creating opportunities for dialogue strengthened our community and helped build the ethos of engagement that characterizes our campus ministry today.”

Rabbi Rachel Gartner, university chaplain and director for Jewish life at Georgetown, remembered him as “a generous soul. There was a largess about him. He was generous of spirit, of time and focus.”

Gartner has continued the free High Holiday services started by White 35 years ago that are offered at Georgetown. Nearly 1,500 people attend, she said.

Since learning of his death, Gartner said she has received a flood of emails from alumni, saying how much White meant to them and asking what they can do to honor him.

Born in Hartford, Conn., he studied at the Jewish Theological Seminary, under Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel and philosopher Martin Buber.

White served as a Navy chaplain at Parris Island in South Carolina and with the 7th Fleet in the Pacific.

White donned many kippot. He had been a congregational rabbi in Dublin, Ireland and Ann Arbor, Mich. He was founding director of B’nai B’rith Hillel at American University and an associate rabbi from 1980 to 1985 at Temple Sinai in Washington.
He was buried in Connecticut.

A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Sept. 20 at St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church, 1908 N. Capitol Street NW, Washington.

Donations may be made in White’s name to the Program for Jewish Civilization at Georgetown University.

spollak@midatlanticmedia.com
@SuzannePollak

Gertrude ‘Gigs’ Bergman

Gertrude “Gigs” Bergman, mother of Ron (Lynne) and Sam (Amanda) Bergman. Member of Congregation B’nai Tzedek. Online memorial contributions may be made to Congregation B’nai Tzedek at bnaitzedek.org/secure/make-donation.

Harriet M. Kriesberg

On Aug. 15, Harriet M. Kriesberg, 92, of Bethesda.

An active member of Washington Hebrew Congregation for over 50 years, she served on the board of directors for many years and was the first woman elected first vice president. She participated in Torah and Bible study groups for decades, and was particularly known for her courteous but probing questions. She had a wide-ranging intellectual curiosity and was a member of a number of book clubs, including one sponsored by the National Press Club. She participated for decades in a Catholic-Jewish dialogue with members of Our Lady of Victory Church. She served on the Board of Directors of the American Jewish Committee’s Washington Regional Office for many years. For years she served on the Mid-Atlantic Council of the Union for Reform Judaism.

She led a WHC project in the 1960s to work with children at Junior Village, a District of Columbia home for orphaned poor children. Under the auspices of AJC, she volunteered to tutor children at the Abram Simon Elementary School in the District in math and reading. She was active in the United Nations Association, the National Council of Jewish Women and the Woman’s National Democratic Club.

Kriesberg graduated with a B.A. from Brooklyn College and M.A. from Radcliffe College, Harvard University. She worked briefly at the University of Michigan Survey Research Center, after receiving her graduate degree. She moved to Washington in the late 1940s and worked in the Bureau of Labor Statistics for several years. In the early 1950s she left the labor force to raise her five children. She resumed her professional career at the economics consulting firm of Robert R. Nathan Associates, from which she retired in 1983 after 17 years as one of the firm’s most senior female economists. She mentored many younger professional women during her time there.

She lived abroad three times with her husband Martin and their children: for nine months in 1956 in Israel; for 18 months in 1962-63 in Colombia; and for six months in 1983 in Italy.

She is survived by her five children: Simeon M. (Martha L. Kahn) Kriesberg, Maida K. (Barry A.) Lerman, Ellis M. (Stephanie M.) Kriesberg, Caleb M. Kriesberg, and Joshua D. (Jane M. Lichty) Kriesberg. Her eight grandchildren: Sarah Lerman, David Kriesberg, Lea Kriesberg, Max Kriesberg, Benjamin Kriesberg, Talia Kriesberg, Micah Kriesberg, Shoshanah Kriesberg. Her two sisters, Rhoda Davidson and Helene Sokal. Her parents are the late Sarah and Max Munchick. Her husband of 60 years, Martin Kriesberg, died in 2005.

Selma Leah Neustempel Rothenberg

On July 21, Selma Leah Neustempel Rothenberg, 88, of Silver Spring. Rothenberg was a former executive director of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Washington. A graduate of Hunter College in New York City, she participated in many organizations, including Na’amat, League of Women Voters, New Friends, Brookside Gardens, Jewish Residents of Leisure World, Women’s League of Conservative Judaism at Congregation Shaare Tefila Olney, Hadassah, ElderHostel and Friends of the Wheaton Library. Her parents are the late Dora and Jack Neustempel and late husband Jerome H. Rothenberg, PE, z”l. Rothenberg is survived by children: Rona Rothenberg (Yehuda Ben-Israel) of Alameda, Calif.; Susan (Scott) Shay, New York; and Rob (Lori) Rothenberg, Morgan Hill, Calif. Grandchildren: Sarah and David (Jamie Rosen) Ben-Israel; Benjamin, Ariel, Alison and Abigail Shay; and Elizabeth and Alyssa Rothenberg. Cherished friends Charlotte and Maurice Potosky, Silver Spring; Dr. Herbert and Alvina Manz, Simi Valley, Calif.; Barbara and Jack Weiss, Valhalla, NY; Charlotte and Al Stein, BlueBell, Pa. and many, many others.

Gerald Bubis
Photo via Hebrew Union College

Gerald Bubis, who pioneered and shaped the field of Jewish communal service and was a passionate champion of a progressive Israel, has died.

Bubis died Aug. 21 at his Los Angeles home at the age of 91, following a series of lengthy illnesses.

Bubis was born in Winnipeg, Canada, but as a youngster moved with his sister and mother to Minneapolis.

In 1968, at the invitation of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR), he established the School of Jewish Communal Service, now the Zelikow School of Jewish Nonprofit Management, at its Los Angeles campus. Bubis retired from the school’s directorship in 1989, Bubis “was the first to conceptualize, initiate, establish and sustain a program for the education and formation of professionals who would serve the totality of the Jewish community,” according to Rabbi David Ellenson, chancellor emeritus of the HUC-JIR’s four-campus system.

Bubis forged his legacy through “his unique combination of charisma, warmth, intellectual acuity and boundless energy,” Ellenson said.

Parallel to his academic achievements, Bubis was a key figure in the Israel peace movement and among the first in the 1980s to advocate a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, at a time when such a stance was highly unpopular in the Jewish community.

“Jerry belonged to that generation of leaders who could be a beacon of moral conscience while remaining fully within the communal fold,” said David Myers, chairman of the UCLA history department.

Bubis’ energy and outreach were prodigious. In his 2005 autobiography, “Guide Yourself Accordingly: A Memoir,” a listing of his various achievements and associations takes up a full 20 pages of small print.

He wrote some 170 academic papers and popular articles and 14 books and monographs, ranging across his focus on the Jewish family, Jewish identity, board-staff relations in volunteer organizations and the Israel-Diaspora relationship.

Bubis visited Israel some 50 times and created a biannual program in Jerusalem “dedicated to profound studies and critical exploration of Israel-Diaspora bonds,” according to Prof. Gideon Shimoni, former head of the Hebrew University’s Institute of Contemporary Jewry.

He is survived by his wife of nearly 67 years, Ruby, and two children.

—JTA News and Features

On Aug. 17, Frances Abramson, 94, died peacefully at her home in Bethesda. She was the wife for 72 years of the late Bertram R. Abramson; mother of Barbara Bryce (the late Barry), Jeffrey F. Abramson (Janet) and Edward J. Abramson (Ariane DuBois). Also survived by five grandchildren: Marcia Newfield, Laurie Kuntz (Stuart), Michael Abramson (Catherine), Grace Johnston and Caramai Johnston; and two great-grandchildren: Michelle and Ari Kuntz. A graveside funeral service was held Aug. 19, at King David Memorial Gardens, Falls Church. The family received friends at the late residence immediately following the interment service as well as Wednesday and Thursday evenings with services held at 7 p.m. Memorial contributions may be made to the Jewish Social Service Agency, Rockville.

Larry Phillips, co-founder of American Jewish World Service
Photo via ajws.org

Larry Phillips, a philanthropist and businessman who was a founder of the American Jewish World Service, has died.
The American Jewish World Service in a tribute on its website called Phillips, who died on Sept. 11 at 88, “a visionary philanthropist who brought the dream of a Jewish organization dedicated to ending poverty and promoting human rights alive.”

He collaborated with Lawrence Simon, today a prominent professor of international development at Brandeis University, to launch AJWS in 1985. Phillips served as the organization’s earliest financial investor and first board chair, according to the organization.

“We owe our existence today to their passion, compassion and dedication to applying Jewish values toward building a more just and equitable world,” AJWS President Ruth Messinger said in a statement.

According to AJWS, Phillips joined the board of an international relief organization but felt isolated as the only Jewish trustee, which led him to found a Jewish organization to undertake humanitarian relief efforts.

— JTA News & Features

Leon Altschuler

On Sept. 7, Leon Altschuler, 97, of Silver Spring. Born in Philadelphia on Jan. 22, 1918 to Rose and Samuel Altschuler, he moved to the Washington area in 1932. He was the husband of Betty Altschuler for 67 years and father of Irwin (Leslie) and Steven; grandchildren Aaron (Julie), David (Dora) and Lauren (Eric Ebenstein); great-grandchildren Abby, Jonah, Theodore, Nathan and Rose Altschuler and Zoe and Jordan Ebenstein. He was predeceased by his sister Mollie (Joseph Ginberg) and survived by his brother Morton (Rayna) and many nieces and nephews. Altschuler served in the United States Army during World War II with his five years of service mostly as a master sergeant. He was past president of Congregation Temple Israel and long-time chair of their Israel Bonds committee. Funeral services were held on Sept. 9 at Congregation Har Shalom in Potomac with a burial that followed at Mt. Lebanon Cemetery in Adelphi. The family received guests at the residence of Irwin and Leslie Altschuler immediately following services. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to the Jewish Social Service Agency of Greater Washington or to the charity of your choice

James Austin Amdur

On Sept. 20, James Austin Amdur, 79, of San Francisco, died of Parkinson’s disease. His education included BBA (1957) and JD (1960) degrees from Case Western Reserve University and an LLM degree in taxation from Georgetown University in 1966. Amdur worked at Bancroft Avery and McAllister in San Francisco, Communications Satellite Corporation as general counsel in Washington and the Department of Justice, also in Washington. He was a member of the American Bar Association (serving on the State and Local Tax Committee of the Section of Taxation), the State Bar of California, the Bar Association of San Francisco, the District of Columbia Bar Association and the Federal Communications Bar Association. Amdur is survived by his wife Patricia Gibbon Amdur; children Bonnie M. Amdur (daughter) of Seattle, Iris L.Amdur (daughter) of Chevy Chase; and grandchildren Aaron B. Amdur-Kass (grandson) of Chevy Chase and Rebecca S. Amdur-Kass (granddaughter) of Chevy Chase. Contributions may be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

David M. Schwartz

On July 24, David M. Schwartz, 85, of Chevy Chase. A 1952 graduate of Dartmouth College and 1957 graduate of Georgetown University Law School, Schwartz worked in various departments of the federal government, including the Interstate Commerce Commission, Department of Commerce and Department of Transportation as director of the office of policy review. He also worked for a time at the Washington law firm of Sullivan and Worcester. He served in the United States Army from 1952-1954, was a member of JINSA and ZOA and was also member and vice president of the Somerset Town Council from 1975 to 1979. In 1965, Schwartz was honored with the Federal Bar Association’s Young Federal Lawyer of the Year Award. He is survived by his wife Gail Diamond Schwartz; children Anne Schwartz of Charlottesville, Va., Susan Schwartz of Chevy Chase and Rachel Schwartz of Winchester, Va.; and grandchildren Simon, Naomi and Talia Wiener Joshua, Eliana, Benjamin, Noam, Rebecca Stanislawski and Leo Howerd.