What a short memory we have for heroes. This is very true in the United States but also too easily true in the Jewish community. We would all benefit from recognizing and remembering those individuals who stepped forward to make a difference and who stood tall in their personal efforts to heal some part of the world. More of our Jewish heroes are ancient than modern. And it is good that we remember some leaders of the U.S. battle for civil rights and that we acknowledge the extraordinary role that Nelson Mandela played in ending apartheid, but little is known or sung about a Jewish woman activist and parliamentarian who fought a long and lonely battle against the apartheid leaders in her own country of South Africa and remained a feisty and outspoken leader in the effort to expand rights and increase tolerance until her death Jan. 1 at the age of 91.
I did not meet Helen Suzman until 18 months ago, but I always knew about her because she was Jewish, a woman, an elected official and stood against the government and the system in her own country. Helen walked her own path. For years she was the only person in office willing to challenge the oppression and destruction of blacks and colored as those systems got worse and became more and more entrenched. For well over a decade she had no visible support in Parliament, yet she posed tough questions to government ministers and saw to it that the answers were recorded. She was the premiere model for how to hold higher powers to some level of exposure for what they were doing to deny people life and liberty. I only learned from her obituary that she asked these questions in the public session in Parliament not only because she saw it as her job but also because those exchanges were covered by the press verbatim, while all other information about the life and treatment of the black majority was censored.
And Helen Suzman went to Robben Island on a regular basis to visit Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners to report on the gross indignities of their situation and to battle the prison system for some alleviation of their worst suffering. It was without any question her actions, her public comments, her commitment to do what was right and to speak truth to power that helped to bring an end to apartheid. At the same time, she was a thoughtful and outspoken opponent of the efforts so many of us were making in the United States to divest from South Africa, making it hard to love her even when I admired her.
And then in 2007 Helen Suzman agreed to meet with an American Jewish World Service study tour group of donors who were visiting our project partner grantees in that country. We met at a beautiful art gallery. She came with her daughter, though it was no longer easy for her to move around. She was as sharp as a whip, entertained us all with memories of her past and incisive comments against the then-rulers in South Africa, particularly with regard to their appalling treatment of the HIV/AIDS pandemic sweeping the country. She met and praised some of our grantee leaders, engaged us all and reminded me of what a hero she was and how much we need to tell her story in our Jewish communities and more broadly throughout the United States.
Ruth Messinger is president of American Jewish World Service.
Michael Abergel died Dec. 10 at 54. He is survived by his wife, Ester; sons, Daniel and Ben; daughters, Shani and Mia; mother, Perla; father, Shalom; sisters, Shulamit (Paul) Wilder and Rachel (Gil) Maoz; and brothers, David (Leah) and Ofir (Orly). Chevra Kadisha
Simon Ahlzadeh died Dec. 5 at 90. He is survived by his wife, Louise Keshmirpour; sons, Daniel (Esther) and Yosef (Sarah); daughters, Flora (Shahriar) and Florence (Martin); nine grandchildren; three great-grandchldren; brothers, Mansour (Victoria) and David; and sisters, Madlen (Habib), Gitty (Barouch) and Sima. Chevra Kadisha
Aliza Cohen died Dec. 3 at 74. She is survived by her sons, Doron (Star), Ilan and Nissim; and two grandchildren. Sholom Chapels.
Irving Evans died Dec. 15 at 100. He is survived by his wife, Shlomit. Malinow and Silverman
Frances Fenton died Dec. 15 at 98. She is survived by her daughters, Phyllis (Dan) Epstein and Barbara (Seymour) Canter; four grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and brother, Jack Gard. Malinow and Silverman
Zelda Glina died Dec. 11 at 96. She is survived by her son, Shel. Sholom Chapels.
Simon Greitzer died Dec. 17 at 94. He is survived by his daughter, Sheila Rose; and son, Daniel. Malinow and Silverman
Sophie Gross died Dec. 9 at 94. She is survived by her daughter, Rosalie Dow; son, Andrew; grandchildren; and great-grandchildren. Sholom Chapels.
Bruce Grossman died Dec. 13 at 47. He is survived by his father, Felix; mother, Beverly; brothers, Peter (Denise) and David (Jennifer); nephew, Keith; and niece, Kelly. Mount Sinai
Alfred Holiday died Dec. 5 at 86. He is survived by his wife, Dorothy; sons, Barton and Richard; daughter, Tami Podell; 13 grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. Chevra Kadisha
Jess Katzberg died Dec. 15 at 96. He is survived by his daughter, Lois (Robert) Rubin; son, Sanford; brother, Arthur (Mary Francis); five grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. Malinow and Silverman
Helen Kern died Dec. 12 at 83. She is survived by her husband, Sam; and daughter, Nancy. Malinow and Silverman
Charyl La Brucherie died Dec. 15 at 61. She is survived by her daughters, Nicole, Michele (Rachel Weinstein) and Justine (Christopher) Janney; son, John (Jennifer); brother, Mark (Ruth) Bevacqua; and five grandchildren. Malinow and Silverman
Max Mandel died Dec. 16 at 86. He is survived by his daughters, Sandy and Barbara. Sholom Chapels.
Larry Moss died Dec. 4 at 61. He is survived by his brother, Richard. Sholom Chapels.
Scott Olken died Dec. 14 at 43. He is survived by his wife, Sharen; daughter Heidi (Blair) Dominick; father, Sherwin; mother, Elaine; and brother, Douglas (Eva). Malinow and Silverman
Leo Peckman died Dec. 6 at 85. He is survived by his son, Steven; daughter, Karen Verity; sister, Elizabeth Siegel; and two grandchildren. Sholom Chapels.
Florence Plotkin died Dec. 13 at 90. She is survived by her son, Charles (Wendy Brandchaft); daughters, Laura (Tony Wiener) and Jane; and five grandchildren. Malinow and Silverman
Arnold Sarrow died Dec. 17 at 82. He is survived by his son, Robert (Michelle); and two grandchildren. Mount Sinai
Dorothy Saulsman died Dec. 8 at 76. She is survived by her son, Patrick (Jill) Kirby; and two grandchildren. Mount Sinai
Ira Schoenholtz died Dec. 10 at 64. He is survived by his wife, Karen; son, Sam; and sister, Marcia Farahpour. Malinow and Silverman
Yetta Schwartz died Dec. 23 at 85. She is survived by her husband, David Rosen; sons, Stephen (Agi) and Daniel (Deborah); daughters, Beth (Cary) Pollack, Moira (Robert) and Dena (Henry); 10 grandchildren; and brother, Harold Simlak. Mount Sinai
Morris Sherman died Dec. 19 at 87. He is survived by his wife, Ruth; daughter, Judy; son, Jerry (Nancy); and three grandchildren. Mount Sinai
Lillian Silver died Dec. 17 at 86. She is survived by her daughters, Idelle (David) Silvera and Bobbie (Larry Beiser) Goldshine; son, Mark Kapper; four grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. Mount Sinai
Jerome Weinberg died Dec. 18 at 89. He is survived by his wife, Melissa; son, David; daughters, Molly (Gary) Beverly, Susan, Samantha and Rachel; and four grandchildren. Mount Sinai
Shirley Wolf died Dec. 19 at 97. She is survived by her daughters, Lila (Irwin) Berman, Billie Baier and Maxine; two grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Mount Sinai
Sidney Zelman died Dec. 17 at 78. He is survived by his wife, Lee Z; daughter, Debra Mabrie; son, Mark; and four grandchildren. Malinow and Silverman
