Condolence: Baruch Dayan Emet. I'm so sorry and Lev and I are thinking of you during this difficult and sad time.

Jacqueline

Condolence: My deepest sympathies go out to you and your family. I am truly sorry to hear of the loss of your MOTHER. It was an honor to have known such a great person and I will truly miss her. May her soul rest in peace. I know that what you are going through right now is very difficult time in your life. Stay strong. It is terrible to hear about your loss. I loved your Mother. She was a LADY, very nice person, for me my best friend and like second mother,always with good advice. All night I think about her,and even cry. She was a great woman, she will be truly missed and will always be remembered, she will be always in my heart. She loves you GIRLS very,very much,always talk about you and say what happened to the girls when I go,always worry about you. With deepest sympathies. Jolanta

Condolence: Hi Judy and Joyce,

Please accept my condolences for the loss of your mother. She was a kind, cheerful spirit. I always enjoyed speaking with her at kiddush. She always asked after our daughters, and used to send us a Chanukah card every year, with "Gelt" for the girls, taped to the card.

She was a very special lady, and was one of the hearts of the Malden Jewish community. Our family will also miss her.

May you all be comforted with the good memories and happy times you shared with her. I hope the future will soon bring you more happy times. May the Omnipresent comfort you among the mourners of Zion and Yerushalayim.

המקום ינחם אתכם בתוך אבלי ציון וירושלים

Sam Goldberg (and family)

Condolence: Remembering Ann Katzefman Rubin

In the last chapter of the Biblical book of Mishlei (Proverbs) you will find the moving tribute known as “A Woman of Valor,” Eyshet Chayil. My first cousin once removed, Ann Katzefman Rubin, certainly qualified as a modern Eyshet Chayil.
The daughter of two Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe, Ann lived her entire life in Malden. She graduated from high school but did not go to college because her father believed that his daughters should marry and have children. Ann had five, including twin daughters Joyce and Judith, the ones I know the best. She was devoted to her husband, whom she had met in high school and to all of her children. Family was the center of her life.
After my own parents died, in 1986 and 1990 respectively, Ann became my main connection to my mother’s family. Whenever I came to the Boston area, I went to Malden because I wanted to see Ann. She loved preparing a meal for my family and me. She kept a kosher kitchen and observed the Jewish holidays.
She attended shul regularly. When she became legally blind, her daughters would take her to the synagogue. Also, she often gave gifts of money to the shul.
Ann used to tell me that when her children were still living at home she loved to go to Malden Square and have coffee with her sister (of blessed memory) or a friend. She enjoyed being a wife and a mother and maintaining her home. In Yiddish one would say that she was a baalaboosteh.
Visits with Ann were always delightful. My wife Natalie and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves! Whenever we came, she would be in good spirits and have a positive outlook. Rather than discuss books or academic subjects, we would talk about our children, our grandchildren, and people in Malden whom we both knew. Ann was always interested in what was going on for everyone.
She was one of the most non-judgmental individuals whom I ever have known. I believe that she modeled herself on her father. She once told me that at Xmas time he would bring a bottle of wine to his non-Jewish neighbor. “After all,” he would say, “Xmas is their yontiff.
Ann, like her father, accepted people for who they were. When she would talk about non-Jews, I never heard her use any derogatory terms.
All in all, she was a loving, moral Jew and human being who didn’t need to read a Jewish text to learn what was moral and what was immoral. Having grown up in an ethical American Jewish environment, she internalized the best aspects of the Jewish and American traditions.
Yes, Ann was a true Eyshet Chayil. I will miss her. ברוך זיכרה יהי (Y’hei zeechra baruch) May her memory be blessed.
By Harold Gorvine
January 8, 2018

Condolence: Hi Joyce and Judy,

I can’t tell you how sorry I am to hear about your mother. She was a very special person and was loved by all. We will miss her dearly. My thoughts and prayers go out to you in this difficult time. I know how hard this must be for both of you. She was very fortunate to have such wonderful daughters.

Much love,

Robin

Condolence: Dear Joyce and Judy,
Sending good thoughts, wishes and prayers across the miles. I was so glad to hear that your Mom has moved in with you--with you both there to help, there can be no doubt but that she will receive the highest level of love and care possible. I send you both strength (physical as
well as emotional and spiritual) to cope with this time. I hope there are many moments of love and connectedness during it.
And to my dear Mrs. Rubin--I was so sorry to hear that your health has been poor. And so glad to hear that your wonderful daughters are taking care of you. You raised them well! I want to thank you for taking me and my family "under your wing" when we moved to Malden when Penina was just 1. You were always so kind and
supportive, even when Batsheva and Chana were running around the shul, you said such nice, positive things about them!
And you sent us Chanukah cards with silver dollars for each child--they never (before or since) received such a card and it made such a big impact on each of them! Thank you for always having such a positive attitude about life and always being loving and supportive. WE LOVE YOU!
Happy Chanukah,
Ellen

Condolence: I can't express how deeply sorry I am about your loss - our loss. Your mom was much beloved by so many. And I only came to know her in the twilight of her life. Still - she always had a smile and a kind word - she was truly inspirational. I so wish I could be there for the funeral - but I can't. I am presently with my dad in Florida who is ailing. I am not scheduled to return until Friday of next week. But please know that I would have very much liked to pay my respect if I could. There is no greater mitzvah then burying the dead - and I won't be able to fulfill this with the one lady who meant so much to our community.

Boruch Dayan HaEmes - may we all rejoice together again in Olom Haboh when we will see your mom's radiant smile once again.

Your friend,
Dan

Condolence: Dear Joyce and Judy,

I was so sorry to get your message about your mother. She was a lovely person and we are all affected by her departure. Please try to take care of your own needs during these difficult days. I know it is so bewildering and draining when you lose someone you cared about so deeply. You both did so much to make your mother's life as good as it could be. I am sure she appreciated it very much.

With heartfelt sympathy,
Bonnie

Condolence: Dear Joyce and Judith,

We were very saddened by the news of the loss of your mother, my aunt Ann. She was a wonderful woman, always cheerful and giving, despite the difficulties she suffered during much of her life.

She was the last survivor in our family of her generation and her long life was a tribute to her goodness, her persistence, and her devotion to you, her closest relatives.

Ann will be missed by those of us who remember her and that generation.

The best to both of you.

David and Bui Rubin