Claire (Cookie) Venze died on Dec. 20 in Massachusetts.
Born in Baltimore on May 9, 1959, she moved to Beverly Hills at an early age and attended Hawthorne Elementary School, Beverly Hills High School and UCLA. She received her law degree from Cardozo Law School and worked as a public defender in Los Angeles.
Her family had a longtime relationship with Beth Jacob Congregation, where her father, Paul, served as president.
After marrying David Gebler, they moved to Sharon, Mass., where they raised their four children and became leaders in their community.
Beloved Cookie was full of conviction. Her warm and positive nature was infectious. She was a great friend to legions, who were drawn to her caring and optimistic attitude. As her daughter Meirav noted, Cookie was “a courageous and beautiful woman, whose soul knew no bounds.”
The shocking diagnosis of stage four gastric cancer did not stop Cookie. She successfully helped lobby Congress for more money for stomach cancer research (one of the most deadly types of cancer, and which receives among the least research funding), rode 50 miles in the Pan-Mass Challenge fundraising bicycle ride and convinced the Boston Globe to publish an article about her efforts.
Her memory will be a blessing to all who knew her.
She is survived by her father, Paul; brother, Howard Venze; sister, Ann (Venze) Sendor; husband, David; and children Avishai, Akiva, Meirav and Zev.
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