obituaries

The Grande Dame
Of Israeli Cinema

Obituaries from page 65

WENDY WEITZMAN,
65, of Farmington Hills,
died March 14, 2015.
She is survived by her
nieces and nephews,
Michelle and Richard
Gordon, Eric and Amy
Ersher, Brian Elias and
his fiancee, Michele
Arkin, David and
Deborah Elias, Darrin
and Gayle Elias; great-nieces and great-
nephews, Rachel Gordon, Adam and Abby
Gordon, Dean and Mia Ersher, Daniel,
Matthew, Josh, Marlee, Steven and Jeffrey
Elias; her dog, Murphy; a world of close
friends.
Mrs. Weitzman was the devoted
daughter of the late Benjamin and the
late Sylvia Weitzman; the cherished
sister of the late Beverly and the late
Edward Ersher, the late Marlene and the
late Hanley Elias.
Interment was at Hebrew Memorial
Park. Contributions may be made to
Relay for Life, West Bloomfield Chapter,
20450 Civic Center Drive, Southfield,
MI 48076, relay.acsevents.org ; or a char-
ity of one's choice. Arrangements by Ira
Kaufman Chapel.

VIVA F. WILLIAMS,

92, of Marshall, died
March 12, 2015.
She was the dearly
loved mother of
Thomas H. (Deborah)
Williams of Farmington
Hills, Heidi M. (Dale)
Williams
of Canton, Louise C.
Williams of Louisiana,
Daniel J. (Sandra)
Williams of Marshall and Carl R. (Kris
Kimble) Williams of Florida; cher-
ished grandmother of Rachel (Daniel)
Aaronson, Sarah (Matthew) Licavoli,
Rebecca Smith (Dean Hardwick), Brian
(Sandy) Smith, Andrew McGowan,
Nicolas Elmer, Blair Williams (Matthew
Brindley), Hannah Kimble-Williams,
and Chloe Kimble-Williams; loving
great-grandmother of William Ezra
Aaronson and Caroline Belle Aaronson.
Mrs. Williams was the wife of the late
Carl D. Williams for nearly 60 years.
Contributions may be made to a char-
ity of one's choice.

L

I

Jessica Steinberg
Times of Israel

She was at the Cinematheque shortly
before being hospitalized and was
recently in Berlin in February for that
city's film festival. She didn't like to miss
is Van Leer never wanted to leave
a film festival, said one Cinematheque
the Cinematheque. In fact, she
staffer.
once said that she'd like to die
at the arthouse theater she founded in
The theater was Van Leer's second
home, a multi-level edifice overlooking
Jerusalem.
"I don't even want to think of the end
Jerusalem's Hinnom Valley and the Old
because I know it will come
City walls, the embodiment of
said Van Leer in Lia, a film made
all that Van Leer and her hus-
by Taly Goldenberg about her
band, Wim Van Leer, created
when they began their lifelong
life. "I want to be onstage at the
Cinematheque, speaking about
project of establishing Israel's
film industry
something, and then bang:'
Van Leer first fell in love
It was a typical statement for
the city's matron of film, the
with the cinema in her native
Romania after seeing Marcel
silver-haired sprite who was
always ready to speak to anyone Lia Van Leer
Carne's Children of Paradise. It
about her pet topic and could
opened her to the magical world
of film, she said in Lia.
almost always be found at the center she
founded more than 25 years ago.
"I left the movie theater and couldn't
The 90-year-old doyenne of the
believe there was another world out
Jerusalem Cinematheque, the city's
there she said. "I sat and didn't want to
arthouse cinema, as well as the Haifa
talk to anyone else:'
Cinematheque, Israeli Film Archive and
It was that very experience that Van
the Jerusalem Film Festival, died March
Leer ended up creating for so many other
film lovers.
13 at Jerusalem's Shaare Zedek Hospital.

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March 19 • 2015

Obituaries