52 May 9 • 2019 jn F rieda Smolinsky Leemon, 98, was born in Baklarzevo, Poland, in 1921 and was brought to the United States as an infant. She died May 2, 2019. As the oldest of five daughters, she had familial responsibilities from a very early age. She was the original English speaker in her extended family and took care of many family obligations usually handled by adults. She did well in school and while she only men- tions her degree from Wayne, she took a com- mercial course in high school and then worked to pay for her college education. She sold handker- chiefs at a linen store in downtown Detroit and rose to office manager and buyer before she left work after her marriage. She was very intelligent and had an outstanding memory. Frieda lived most of her life in the Metropolitan Detroit area and gradu- ated from Northwestern High School and then from Wayne University. She also graduated from United Hebrew School High School Department at Philadelphia Byron Branch and received the Gold Medal awarded by Feigenson (Faygo) brothers as the out- standing student of her class. Frieda resumed the study of Hebrew in later life and was a fluent Hebrew speaker. She was actively involved with the Adat Shalom Sisterhood and served at one time as president. She was also a Cub Scout leader for son Mark, and she was a volunteer at Sinai Hospital. Frieda said fundraising was easy because she was presenting a person who had the ability to donate with the opportunity to perform a mitzvah. Her dedication to this aspect of her work was probably inspired by the row of pushkes her mother kept on the window sill. In 1961, she was elect- ed president of the Greater Detroit Council of Pioneer Women (now Na’ amat). In 1963, she was chairman of the National Convention held in Detroit at the Book Cadillac Hotel. At that time, she was elected to the national board and served in many positions mainly in fundraising. She received the State of Israel Award in 1977 at the National Convention held in Washington, D.C., and was elected national president of Pioneer Women, serving for many years. In 1981, for Frieda’ s 60th birthday, the Leemon family built a three-class day care center in Ramle, Israel, for the children of working mothers; it was named Beit Frieda. Children age 3 months to 5 years are educated and cared for there. In 1982, in gratitude for Frieda’ s service, Na’ amat Israel dedicated the Frieda Leemon Technological High School in Lod, a school for students at risk. In 1991, this school received the Israel Education Prize for Excellence. Mrs. Leemon attended most of the graduation ceremonies at the school and traveled to Israel 46 times. She served on the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and attended many meetings at the White House, State Department and Pentagon. She was honored to speak at the Knesset and was a guest at the signing of the Peace Treaty between Israel and Egypt and at the dinner at the White House the following the evening. She became friends with Golda Meir and knew all the presidents and prime ministers of Israel personally. Mrs. Leemon was the first per- son from Michigan to serve on the Actions Committee and Presidium of the World Zionist Organization and attended many World Zionist con- gresses. She served on the National Board of the World Jewish Congress, the Jewish National Fund, State of Israel Bonds and the United Israel Appeals. In 1985, she was elected vice president of the World Movement of Na’ amat, the largest women’ s organi- zation in Israel. At this conference, delegates from 13 countries voted to accept the name of their sister orga- nization in Israel, Na’ amat, a Hebrew acronym for women who work and volunteer. Pioneer Women did not lose its pioneering spirit; it just changed its name to Na’ amat, U.S.A. At the age of 70, Mrs. Leemon vol- unteered to serve in the Israeli Army and was assigned to the Southern Army Command in Beersheba for a month. For 30 years, she served as a chair- man of the board of the Golda Meir Child Development Fund, a special fund for child care centers in develop- ment towns and poor neighborhoods as well as advanced pedagogical pro- grams for child care staff. At the World Zionist Congress in 2004, she was named an Honorary Fellow of the World Zionist Organization, a yakira Yerushalayim, a beloved of Jerusalem. She was also a life member of the National Council of Jewish Women, ORT America and Brandeis University Women. Mrs. Leemon was married to the late Norman I. Leemon. She is sur- vived by her children, Judith Ann Holtz, Mark (Sidney Stillerman Royer) Leemon and Sheldon (Lenore Waldhorn) Leemon; grandchildren, Meredith Robin (Adam) Weingarden, Jason Richard Holtz, Ethan Randall (Dana Kushkin) Holtz, Elizabeth Sarah (Michael) Snyder, Joseph Reuben (Courtney) Leemon, Joseph P.L. Henry and Sonia Yonit Portney Leemon; great-grandchildren, Noah Ryan Weingarden, Emilie Renee Weingarden, Linley Ava Holtz, Braden Julius Holtz, Sutton Asher Holtz and Brooke Lois Snyder. She was the daughter of the late Tillie and the late Henry Smolinsky; sister of the late Pauline (late Dr. Leonard) Schreiber, late Miriam (late Sol) Hoberman, Jacqueline (late Paul) Drucker and Gail (late Dr. Floyd) Tukel. Contributions may be made to Na’ amat USA, 21515 Vanowen St., Suite 102, Canoga Park, CA 91303. Interment was held at Beth Tefilo Emanuel Cemetery in Ferndale. 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