Febraury 14 • 2019 51
jn
MARGARET BERLIN,
72, of Farmington Hills,
died Feb. 6, 2019.
She is survived by her
brothers, Arthur (Linda)
Berlin and Gerald (Marie)
Berlin; nephews and niec-
es, Jeffrey and Allison Berlin, Jon and
Leslie Berlin, Jimmy and Amy Berlin,
Rachel and Rich Handloff, Deborah
and Justin Kramer, Naomi and Michael
Hoffman; great-nieces and great-neph-
ews, Ari and Olivia Berlin, Annabel and
Miles Berlin, Sam and Eddie Berlin,
Hannah and Sophie Handloff, Lucy and
Etta Kramer, Mollie and Jonah Hoffman;
her wonderful caregivers at JARC.
Mrs. Berlin was the cherished daughter
of the late Harry and the late Sara Berlin.
Interment was at Adat Shalom
Memorial Park. Contributions may be
made to JARC, 30301 Northwestern
Hwy., Suite 100, Farmington Hills, MI
48334, www.jarc.org; or Jewish Hospice
& Chaplaincy Network, 6555 W
. Maple,
West Bloomfield, MI 48322, www.
jewishhospice.org. Arrangements by Ira
Kaufman Chapel.
SANDRA “SANDY”
MARJORIE GERSH, a
resident of Las Vegas, Nev.,
passed away peacefully on
Feb. 2, 2019. She was born
on March 9, 1941.
Sandy, who worked
for the city of Detroit, the Oak Park
Michigan School District and Sanyo
Fisher Corporation, loved mahjongg,
seashells, cruises, coupons, movies and
her family.
She wasn’
t, however, fond of earth-
quakes, wildfires or anyone else driving.
A legion of friends, loved ones and
acquaintances describe Sandy as won-
derful, sweet, funny, beautiful, just so
special. Many stated, “I loved her.
” She’
d
ask anyone wearing Detroit sporting
apparel, “
Are you from Michigan?” She
made incredible salmon patties and could
carry on four conversations simultane-
ously. Quick to smile, Sandy could light
up a room. She leaves innumerable warm
memories for generations to remember.
Mrs. Gersh is survived by two sons and
daughters-in-law, Howard and Julie, and
Andy and Sharyn; grandchildren, Noah,
Zac and Evan, Owen and Leo; two sib-
lings, Saul Lenhoff and Joyce Torby.
She was preceded in death by her par-
ents, Alice and Aaron Lenhoff; her sister,
Elaine Goldstein; and devoted husband of
48 years, Allen Gersh.
The funeral was at Southern Nevada
Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 1900
Buchanan Blvd., in Boulder City, Nev.
Contributions to a charity of one’
s
choice would be greatly appreciated.
Arrangements by Kraft-Sussman Funeral
Services in Las Vegas.
ROSALIE GREENBERG, 92, passed
away peacefully on Feb. 4, 2019, at
Tidewell Hospice in Sarasota, Fla.
She was born July 11, 1926, in
Memphis, Tenn. She married Joseph
Greenberg of Detroit on Oct. 6, 1946.
In 2010, Rosalie and Joe moved from
Michigan to Sarasota.
Rosalie touched the lives of all who
knew her and will be deeply missed. She
will be remembered for her keen sense of
humor, her style and creativity, and her
warm and loving heart.
Mrs. Greenberg is survived by Joe,
her loving husband of 72 wonderful
years; her sons, Cary and his partner,
Joanne, Mitchell and his wife, Cindy;
granddaughters of the beloved “Mimi,
”
Staci Davis Broadwell and her husband,
Christian, Lissa McGirt and her hus-
band, Chris, Ellery Berinstein and her
husband, Jeffrey, and Gillian Greenberg;
great-grandsons, Dylan, Brady, Rylan and
Mavryk.
Contributions may be made to the
Sarasota Hospice House, checks payable
to Tidewell Hospice, 5955 Rand Blvd.,
Sarasota, FL 34238.
DOROTHY KAHN, 100,
of Farmington Hills, died
Feb. 6, 2019.
She is survived by her
son, Bruce (Judy Dalsey)
Kahn; daughter, Karen
Kahn; grandson, James
Kahn; brother, Marshall (Bonnie) Fry;
nephews and nieces, Ron Fry, Madeline
Fry, Matthew Fry, Steven (Fran) Cole;
great-nephew, Eric Fry.
Mrs. Kahn was the beloved wife of the
late Robert J. Kahn; the loving sister of
the late Harold Fry; the dear sister-in-law
of the late Adele Fry.
Interment was at Clover Hill Park
Cemetery. Contributions may be
made to Hebrew Free Loan, 6735
Telegraph Road, Suite 300, Bloomfield
Hills, MI 48301, hfldetroit.org; Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit,
6735 Telegraph Road, Suite 260, P
.O.
soul
of blessed memory
T
o the many employees and part-
ners of Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein,
who died Wednesday, Feb. 6,
2019, at the age of 67, he was a man of
vision whose enormous drive to suc-
ceed both facilitated and complicated
his relentless efforts on behalf of the
Jewish people.
As head of the International
Fellowship of Christians and Jews, or
IFCJ, the New York-born rabbi raised
more than $360 million in donations
— mostly from Christians — for
projects benefiting needy Jews and
Arabs in Israel and beyond,
To many thousands of ordinary
Jews and Christians whose lives he
touched without ever meeting them,
Eckstein was something of a guardian
angel, heading a powerful machine that
offered everyday assistance and was
able to intervene quickly in emergen-
cies, in creative ways cutting through
the red tape characteristic of some
other Jewish aid groups.
The impact left by Eckstein, who
died of cardiac arrest at his home in
Jerusalem, was reflected in the glowing
eulogies that mainstream Jewish groups
offered within hours of his death.
“He was a tireless worker for the
Jewish people and for Israel, and he
made significant contributions by fos-
tering evangelical support for Israel,
”
wrote Jonathan Greenblatt, national
director of the ADL.
Eckstein, who grew up in Canada
and moved to Israel in 1999, began
his involvement in interfaith dialogue
with the ADL in 1974 and started the
International Fellowship of Christians
and Jews in 1983. Using TV adver-
tising, his tremendous charisma and
tireless outreach legwork in the United
States, he made unprecedented head-
way in raising funds for Israel and Jews
in crisis situations among evangelicals.
Eckstein served as a member of the
board and executive committee of the
American Jewish Joint Distribution
Committee and, in 2014, together with
IFCJ, received its highest honor, the
Raoul Wallenberg Award.
He also pushed back against Jewish
leaders who distrusted evangelical sup-
port of Israel.
“[T]he majority of evangelicals
are passionately pro-Israel because it
is part of their theology to love and
support the Jewish people,
” Eckstein
wrote in 2002. “I could not accept the
conditional love of those who expect
a payback on behalf of my people. I
could not embark on a relationship
that would compromise my person-
al integrity and ideals or that of the
Jewish community I represent. But
having been the first — and most often
the only — Jew to build bridges with
the right-wing Christian community, I
have a view and understanding of their
pro-Israel fervor that most people ‘
on
the outside’
lack.
”
Isaac Herzog, chairman of the Jewish
Agency for Israel, wrote on Twitter that
the Jewish people have lost “a leader
who worked tirelessly on their behalf.
”
Eckstein was ordained at Yeshiva
University in New York and held mas-
ter’
s degrees from Yeshiva University
and Columbia University, where he
also completed studies for his doctor-
ate.
One of his three daughters,
continued on page 53
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein,
Interfaith Activist Dies at 67
CNAAN LIPHSHIZ JTA.ORG PHOTOS COURTESY IFCJ
Rabbi Yechiel
Eckstein
continued on page 55