Rabbi Zalman Ury, Day School System Leader, Dies at 92
Rabbi Zalman Ury, who dedicated more than 50 years to building Jewish education in Los Angeles and was rabbi emeritis at Young Israel of Beverly Hills, died last month at the age of 92.
For 47 years, Ury worked with the Bureau of Jewish Education (BJE) building and nurturing the yeshiva day school system. Under his direction, dozens of Orthodox day schools were established.
“The landscape of Jewish education today has been largely shaped by his dedicated leadership,” Dr. Gil Graff, director of the BJE, said at a memorial attended by about 1,000 people before Ury’s body was brought to Israel for burial. “Rabbi Ury had great respect for Jewish learning, particularly that learning that was lived out in ethical practice.”
Ury founded BJE’s Yom Iyun teacher education day 25 years ago, and today the seminar annually attracts 800 educators. He wrote a curriculum to teach ethical behavior, based largely on his doctoral thesis on education, which he earned at UCLA.
Born in Poland in 1924, Ury lost his parents and siblings in the Holocaust. He survived first in a yeshiva in Lithuania and then in labor camp in Siberia and on a collective farm in Uzbekistan. Even under those trying circumstances, the teenage Ury made it his mission to teach the younger children.
Ury and his wife, Eva, whom he met in a Polish orphanage, came to Lakewood, N.J., in 1947, where he received rabbinic ordination. The family moved to St. Louis, and in 1957, Ury — trying to escape hay fever — moved to Los Angeles. He worked as educational director at Hillel Hebrew Academy and taught at Rambam Torah Institute. In 1959, he joined BJE, and continued there as a consultant even after he retired in 1993.
Ury is survived by his wife, Eva; children, Natalie, Celia, Rama and Israel; 20 grandchildren; and many great-grandchildren. — Julie Gruenbaum Fax, Contributing Writer
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Charles Bank died Feb. 8 at 90. He is survived by his wife, Goldie; son, Evan; daughters, Sybil Starr and Donna Prosser; seven grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. Groman
Estelle Barash died Feb. 9 at 96. She is survived by her sons, Robert (Sarah) and Peter. Malinow and Silverman
Albert Lewis Barsky died Feb. 13 at 76. He is survived by his daughter, Jill Carmer; and one grandchild. Groman
ROSALIND BECKER died Feb. 8 at 86. She is survived by her sons, Dr. Lewis (Dr. Diane) and Joel (Mary); and three grandchildren. Hillside
Sara Becker died Feb. 18 at 89. She is survived by her son, Charles; and daughter, Roberta Becker Ziegel. Malinow and Silverman
Dorothy Berger died Feb. 12 at 82. She is survived by her son, Paul; daughters, Bonnie Sue Price and Wendy; six grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. Groman
Gloria Bernstein died Feb. 11 at 76. She is survived by her daughter, Joanne Gross; and two grandchildren. Groman
Alan Block died Feb. 4 at 75. He is survived by his sons, Joel and Kenneth (Carrie); daughter, Linda (Randy) Hutchings; four grandchildren; and sister, Paula (Paul) Weiser. Mount Sinai
Norman Buckner died Feb. 15 at 80. He is survived by his wife, Fae; sons, George (Lynn) and David; daughters, Dara (Ron) Schechter and Barbara; seven grandchildren; and sister, Elaine (Lowell) Berman. Groman
Jean Burch died Feb. 5. She is survived by her daughters, Gayle and Phyllis; granddaughter, Laura Boaz; and brother, Murray (Carol) Lebowitz. Mount Sinai
Betty Carlen died Feb. 15 at 94. She is survived by her nephew, Eric Emanuel. Groman
Maurice Carmona died Feb. 4 at 86. He is survived by his wife, Kay; son, Daniel; daughters, Linda (Stephen) Monroe, Victoria and Suzanne; and four grandchildren. Groman
Mildred Caston died Feb. 4 at 87. She is survived by her sons, Michael (Patty) and Bill (Debbie); and two grandchildren. Mount Sinai
Bertrum Coe died Feb. 13 at 89. He is survived by his daughters, Andrea (Jeff) Portney and Carrie (Nick) Phillips; son, Daniel; three grandchildren; and sister, Doris Frieder. Mount Sinai
Arthur Bruce Cohen died Feb. 12 at 56. He is survived by his sisters, Peggy Labelle and Lois Altman; brother, Howard (Ethelyn); two nieces; one nephew. Dave Rosen; one great-niece; and four great-nephews. Mount Sinai
EDITH COOPER died Feb. 9 at 92. She is survived by her children, Rachelle Butler, Sandy and Barry; eight granchildren; and nine great-grandchildren. Hillside
Jack Corb died Feb. 7 at 89. He is survived by his wife, Anna; daughter, Marilyn (Harry) VanDyck; son, Richard (Marlene); and four grandchildren. Mount Sinai
Henry James Davis died Feb. 17 at age 9. He is survived by his parents, John and Arlette; and sister, Emma. Groman
GIYORA DOEH died Feb. 6 at 71. He is survived by his sons, David and Cole; daughter, Tammy Honold; daughter-in-law Brenda; four grandchildren; brother, Doran (Ros); companion, Joan Asher; and ex-wife, Wendy. Hillside
HAROLD KRITT DONZIS died Feb. 4 at 83. He is survived by his wife, Julia; son, Dr. Paul; daughter, Sharon Donzis Koplik; and four grandchildren. Hillside
David Dreiman died Feb. 18 at 77. He is survived by his sons, Lazzio and Claudio; daughter, Debora Wells; seven grandchildren; and sister, Berta Shulman. Groman
Maryan Feingold died Feb. 15 at 91. She is survived by her daughter, Lynn (Herbert) Patt; sons, Dr. Michael (Jan) and Dr. Ronald (Carole); six grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; and brothers, Bernard and Arthur (Colette) Pomper. Malinow and Silverman
Sewek Yehushua Finkelstein died Feb. 14, at 90. He is survived by his wife, Lea; five nephews; and five nieces. Mount Sinai
MEYER FISHER died Feb. 10 at 98. He is survived by his son, Bob. Sholom Chapels.
Frances Franco died Feb. 11 at 84. She is survived by her son, Jack; daughter, Rita (David) Kravetz; two grandchildren; sister, Jean Wayne; and brother, Morris Rousso. Malinow and Silverman
Louis Fratkin died Feb. 6 at 71. He is survived by his wife, JoAnn; sons, Randal and Stuart (Monica); daughter, Megan (Nick) Cunico; grandchildren, Jake and Caitlin; and sister, Fran (Maury) Sterin. Mount Sinai
David Marc Freedman died Feb. 11 at 54. He is survived by his wife, Jill; daughter, Samantha; mother, Judith; and brother, Steven. Groman
HARVEY GEFTER died Feb. 6 at 74. He is survived by his sons, Shelly and Keets; daughters, Jeanne Matthys and Jane Fennishel; and seven grandchildren; and sister, Joan Stern. Hillside
LOUIS MARK GELBER died Feb. 11 at 52. He is survived by his wife, Laura; sons, Zecharia, Tobias, Jacob, and Sean; and sister Lisa. Sholom Chapels.
Claire Glazer died Feb. 16 at 88. She is survived by her daughter, Mindy. Malinow and Silverman
Sylvia Goldstein died Feb. 6 at 88. She is survived by her son, Jerry; daughter, Rene Anderson; one grandchild; and sisters, Ruth Greenberg and Bernice White. Groman
Harry Gordon died Feb. 10 at 91. He is survived by his wife, Belle; daughters, Diane Colman, Lisa (Steve) Chorna, Ilene (Larry) Abramson and Joan; sons Marc (Claudia) Filler and Richard; eight grandchildren; one great-grandchild; sister, Natalie Roseman; and brother-in-law, Eli Silverman. Mount Sinai
Veronica Grant died Feb. 12 at 73. She is survived by her husband, Erwin. Groman
WOLF GURVITZ died Feb. 5 at 92. He is survived by his son, David; daughters Nasha Narod and Rachel Reed; nine grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. Sholom Chapels.
Sylvia Harmon died Feb. 17 at 87. She is survived by her daughter, Pam Burns; son, Charles Harris; and granddaughters, Elyse and Sharee Burns. Mount Sinai
BENJAMIN HARRIS died Feb. 5 at 81. He is survived by his wife, Sally; daughters, Susan (Jeff) Everett and Debbie (David Kommel); son, Bill (Alysa); eight grandchildren; and sisters, Seba Kolb-Tomkins and Betty Lee Curzon. Hillside
Leonard Daniel Hellman died Feb. 16 at 83. He is survived by his sons, Robert and Jeffrey; and sister, Janice Margolis. Groman
Gertrude Kagan died Feb. 10 at 97. She is survived by her daughter, Beryl Stoker; four grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. Groman
BETTY KALMUK died Feb. 3 at 80. She is survived by her husband, Benjamin; son, Robert (Gail); daughter, Ellen (Dan) Neumark; and grandson, Griffith Neumark. Hillside
Max Katz died Feb. 17 at 76. He is survived by his wife, Carole; son, Jeffrey; two grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and sister, Sonya. Groman
Igor Kharitonovich died Feb. 12 at 29. He is survived by his sister, Olga. Groman
ALLEN KLATZKER died Jan. 24 at 89. He is survived by his wife, Sylvia; sons, David and Dale; six grandchildren; and sisters, Fern Saran and Mae Freedman. Hillside
Miriam Knable died Feb. 17 at 81. She is survived by her husband, Sidney; son, Robert (Dorothy); daughters, Deborah (Michael) Kopp and Joanna; and three grandchildren. Malinow and Silverman
Jean Komoroff died Feb. 5 at 85. She is survived by her daughter, Sandra Cohen; brother, Henry Helfman; two grandchildren; and sister, Marge Bolmer. Groman
Annabelle Kositchek died Feb. 15 at 89. She is survived by her husband, Dr. Robert; daughter, Ellen (Burt) Pressman; son, Robert Jr.; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Malinow and Silverman
Goldie Koster died Feb. 17 at 95. She is survived by her daughters, Susan Wazzan and Arlene (Dennis) Horwitz; brother, Irwin Williams; and five grandchildren. Malinow and Silverman
Susan Koven died Feb. 16 at 64. She is survived by her husband, Allan; sons, David Sehler and Daniel; and daughter, Laura Sehler. Malinow and Silverman
Mary Langsam died Feb. 15 at 61. She is survived by her sons, Andrew (Susan), Michael and Perry; three grandchildren; sister, Lezlee Rubin; and brother, Dennis (Beverly) Chester. Mount Sinai
Beatrice Lehrer died Feb. 5 at 90. She is survived by her son, Steven; and daughter, Judith (Nicolas) Villa. Mount Sinai
Beatrice Levy died Feb. 8 at 89. She is survived by her son, Mark; daughters, Debbie Rubin and Myna; and two grandchildren. Groman
Howard Alan Lilenfeld died Feb. 17 at 61. He is survived by his wife, Barbara; son, Casey; daughter, Jamie; brother, Donald; and sister, Marilyn MacKlowsky. Groman
Fred Lobel died Feb. 6 at 89. He is survived by his wife, Pearl; son, Stephen; daughter, Diane; and brother, Charles. Groman
SYLVIA MALIN died Feb. 6 at 84. She is survived by her daughter, Marcia Labowitz; sons, Richard and Michael; and brother David Cohen. Sholom Chapels.
RICHARD MANNHEIMER died Feb. 6 at 80. He is survived by his wife, Myra; daughter, Jean Louise Forray; son, Paul; three grandchildren; and brother, Robert. Hillside
Bess Margolis died Feb. 15 at 93. She is survived by her son, Joel; sisters, Ann Caplan and Bella Garrick; brother, Sam Winer; one niece; and two nephews. Mount Sinai
Martha Cohen Mayer died Feb. 13 at 85. She is survived by her husband, Robert; and brothers, Cecil and Barney Cohen. Groman
Sidney Mencher died Feb. 5 at 88. He is survived by his son, Albert (Zipora) Shifberg-Mencher; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Malinow and Silverman
Ethel Mendelson died Feb. 14 at 87. She is survived by her son, David; daughters, Marsha Rupel, Harriet Lick and Helen Freedman; brother, Joseph Miller; seven grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. Groman
Melinda Beth Metzenbaum died Feb. 14 at 53. She is survived by her father, Leon; and sisters, Debra (William) Schwaneberg and Christiana. Mount Sinai
Lillian Mezey died Feb. 14 at 88. She is survived by her daughters, Gail Simpson and Geraldine Marks; and three grandchildren. Groman
Aaron Harry Milder died Feb. 16 at 97. He is survived by his daughter, Marilyn Abrams; four grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Groman
Donald Milhander died Feb. 7. He is survived by his son, Rabbi Ken (Laura); and four grandchildren. Malinow and Silverman
David Moses died Feb. 8 at 69. He is survived by his wife, Lily; daughter, Orli; son, Ofer; and brother, Benjamin. Malinow and Silverman
Shirley Reva Ogulnick died Feb. 7 at 81. She is survived by her daughter, Elyse Lidman; son, Ron; four grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and sisters, Jeanne Mendelssohn and Rhoda Matten. Mount Sinai
Vafa Hanna Pashaie died Feb. 9 at 67. She is survived by her husband, Amir; son, Billy; daughters, Dahlia and Neda; and sister, Maneejah Amiri. Groman
Leonard Israel Pode died Feb. 14 at 86. He is survived by his wife, Marion; son, Charles (Laura) Pode; daughter, Donnasue (John) Boni; five grandchildren; sisters Shirley Priceman and Lillian; and three nieces. Mount Sinai
Carolyn Ada Rainer died Feb. 6. She is survived by her husband Edwin; son, David; daughter, Judy; and four grandchildren. Mount Sinai
Lorraine Roseman died Feb. 8 at 79. She is survived by her daughter, Carol (Eric) Mills; son, Ross; three grandchildren; brother, Maynard (Nettie) Sarvas; and sisters, Rose Schoenfeld and Grace (Irving) Hartman. Mount Sinai
BENJAMIN ROSENMAYER died Feb. 6 at 83. He is survived by his wife, Betty; daughters, Julie (Pat) Iantorno, Jan (Jimmy) Okun; son, John (Jennifer); and nine granchildren. Hillside
Michael Morris Roth died Feb. 8 at 96. He is survived by his son, Fred; daughter, Susan Gleason; two grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren. Groman
Shirley Linda Rubenstein died Feb. 6 at 61. She is survived by her brothers, Neil and Michael. Groman
Marcy Sagerman Sanders died Feb. 9 at 36. She is survived by her husband, Brian; son, Benjamin; parents, Marvin and Judy Sagerman; and sister, Sheryl Brager. Groman
Jean Sanzel died Feb. 5 at 91. She is survived by her son, Paul Feinberg. Malinow and Silverman
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Renee Sherr died Feb. 5 at 66. She is survived by her husband, Stephen Fainsbert; sons, David and Spencer Jacobson; brother, Carl; and sister, Irene Talbot. Malinow and Silverman
DOROTHY SILVERMAN died Feb. 6 at 93. She is survived by her husband, William. Hillside
Ethel Skolnik died Feb. 6 at 77. She is survived by her son, Jeffrey; daughter, Leslie; brother, Sam Breiloff; sister, Alice Weiner; two grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Groman
Faye Skuro died Feb. 15 at 96. She is survived by her son, Elliott (Ximena); and three grandchildren. Malinow and Silverman
David Sterkin died Feb. 11 at 90. He is survived by his wife, Doris; stepson, James Samurin; daughter, Lynne; stepdaughters, Beth and Amy Samurin; two grandchildren; and sisters, Bella Barnet and Dorothy Rankin. Groman
JOSEPH TANENHAUS died Feb. 3 at 89. He is survived by his daughters, Marianne Pogoler and Sara; and one grandchild. Hillside
Mildred Tarlow died Feb. 17 at 92. She is survived by her sons, Gerald (Nan) and Barry; daughter, Eleanor (Michael) Rapposelli; two grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Groman
Rita Gail Teller died Feb. 5 at 65. She is survived by her husband, Robert; son, Jeff (Dena); daughter, Jodi (Ryan) Miller; five grandchildren; and sister, Carla (Lawrence) Klein. Malinow and Silverman
Edward Allen Toppel died Feb. 5 at 64. He is survived by his wife, Rabbi Judith Halevy; son, Neil (Cari); daughter, Jessica (Bill) Cleary; three grandchildren; mother, Lilian; sister, Gail (Mark) Sherman; and brother, Lewis (Margaret). Mount Sinai
ANTONY DOUGLAS TRATTNER died Feb. 7 at 74. He is survived by his wife, Marilyn; sons, Greg (Carolyn) and Darren (Elizabeth); and grandson, Ryan. Hillside
BERNARD PAUL UNICKEL died Feb. 7 at 89. He is survived by his daughters, Sue and Martha; son, Steve; five grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. Hillside
Chaim Jerome Weinstein died Feb. 16 at 80. He is survived by his daughter, Gila; brother, David; and nephew, Jacob. Groman
Robert Weinstein died Feb. 10 at 74. He is survived by his wife, Sarah; sons, Leonard and Daniel; daughter, Jackie Fineman; three grandchildren; and sister, Ruth Urban. Malinow and Silverman
Bernard Weisberg died Feb. 15 at 82. He is survived by his wife, Beatrice Chankin. Mount Sinai