obituaries Obituaries from page 52 PHYLLIS YOUNG, 84, of West Bloomfield, died March 11, 2014. She is survived by her sons and daughters-in-law, Dr. Eric and Martha Young Young of Ann Arbor, Dr. Joel and Mindy Young of West Bloomfield; daughter and son-in-law, Marla and David Giwerc of Slingerlands, N.Y.; sister, Esther Mayer of Southfield; grandchil- dren, Rebecca (Ben) Krakauer, Julia Young, Samuel Young, Daniel Giwerc, Michelle Giwerc, Benjamin Young, Kathryn Young, Emily Young; many other loving family members and friends. Mrs. Young was the beloved wife of the late Dr. David J. Young. Contributions may be made to Congregation Beth Shalom or the Michigan Parkinson Foundation. Interment took place at the Adat Shalom Memorial Park Cemetery in Livonia. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel. U.S. Envoy To Israel Washington/JTA S amuel Lewis, an influential U.S. ambassador to Israel who helped broker the Camp David peace agreement, has died. Lewis, a career diplomat, died March 10, 2014, at age 83. He was ambas- sador to Israel from 1977-1985, a peri- od during which Israel and Egypt achieved a peace agreement bro- Samuel Lewis kered by President Jimmy Carter. Lewis, who was not Jewish, was so deeply involved in the day-to-day back and forth between Israel and the United States and was so curious about Israeli and Jewish culture that Ezer Weizman, who was then Israel's defense minister and a lead negotia- tor, nicknamed him "Shmuel Levi:' MORE COMFORTABLE FOR YOU, IN ANY WEATHER Since we upgraded our heating and air conditioning systems and became the nation's first funeral home to use geothermal energy, we have received very positive feedback. The Chapel is warm in the winter and cool in the summer. The efficient energy system has not needed any service calls and creates a consistently comfortable environment for the families we serve and their guests. lirinoino- Too- ether Family Faith & Community , 18325 W. 9 Mile Rd Southfield, MI 48075 • 248.569.0020 • IraKaufman.com 54 March 20 • 2014 Obituaries Lewis played a key role in calming recurring tensions between President Reagan and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, first in 1981 when Israeli planes destroyed a nuclear reactor in Iraq, and in 1982, when Israel invaded Lebanon. Some Israeli right-wingers who resented the influence he wielded as U.S. ambassador dubbed him the "high com- missioner;' a derisive reference to the pre- independence British rulers of Mandate Palestine. The Israeli political establishment, however, appreciated his avuncular style, his civility and his interest in the country; when he retired in 1985, the government dedicated a forest in his name. "He performed miracles in terms of interpreting America to Israel and Israel to America, often absorbing the brunt of criticism for his efforts:' said a statement from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a think tank he advised since its founding in the late 1980s. His involvement in the peace process led to a long retirement career studying and analyzing peace issues, first by lead- ing the congressionally mandated U.S. Institute for Peace from 1987-1992 and then as a founding member of the Israel Policy Forum, a group set up in the early 1990s to back Clinton-era peace efforts. In a 2011 interview with Haaretz, Lewis admitted he had made two "tactical mistakes" during his time as ambassador — namely, "believing the Palestinians could eventually accept a final agreement for two states, which did not include at least an equivalent amount of land to that which Israel occupied in 1967," and "clinging for a long time to the optimistic judgment that a U.S. president could overcome — by enough persuasion and persistent `nudging' — Israel's political complexi- ties, Holocaust memories and security obsessions without first having a prime minister determined to lead the Israeli people to take risks for peace." ❑ Times of Israel contributed to this report.