Fela Shapell, beloved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, devoted wife of 65 years, Holocaust survivor, and philanthropist, passed away peacefully in her home in Los Angeles on February 11, 2021. She was 98 years old.
Fela will be lovingly remembered, among countless reasons, for her boundless love for her family, her perseverance and inner strength, her passion for music and dancing, her elegance and radiant energy, and her generosity and kindness to those in need.
Born on September 23, 1922, in Oswiecim (Auschwitz), Poland, Fela was one of six siblings. The family lived in a multifamily building on the central square of the city. Fela had wonderful memories of her childhood, especially of her loving parents, Rachel and Yitzchak.
During the Holocaust, Fela and her family were forcibly relocated from their home to a ghetto. Fela was subsequently transferred to a series of labor camps and concentration camps. She was ultimately liberated from Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945. Severely ill with typhus, Fela was transported to Sweden for medical care. For nearly two years following her recovery, she worked in Sweden as a nurse.
While in Sweden, Fela learned that her parents and two of her brothers had been brutally murdered in the Holocaust. She also received word that two brothers and a sister had survived, and she reunited with them in Germany.
Fela met David Shapell in Germany, and they married in 1949. Fela and David immigrated to the United States in 1950, first living in Detroit near family members, and then settling in Los Angeles, where Fela and David raised three children and lived joyfully together until David passed away in 2015.
After their children were grown, Fela and David devoted themselves to family and to charitable causes. They supported a vast array of organizations, particularly those that championed Holocaust remembrance, Jewish education, and Israel. They also traveled the world together, always ready to explore both new and familiar locations.
Fela is survived by daughter Rochelle (Lorne Buchman); sons Benjamin (Susan) and Irvin (Kathy); 13 grandchildren and step-grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren. Fela’s beloved grandson, Jacob, predeceased her.
The family expresses its enormous gratitude to Vilma and Nelson Tolentino, whose loving care of Fela over the past 12 years was instrumental in maintaining her health, comfort, and wellbeing. Many thanks as well to Dyon Maki, Inga Zukus, and Stan Kubrin for their invaluable assistance to Fela over the years.
Please consider making a donation in Fela’s memory to one of the following organizations: American Society for Yad Vashem; United States Holocaust Memorial Museum; Beth Jacob Congregation of Beverly Hills; Friends of the Israel Defense Forces; or a charitable organization of your choice.
More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.