Horace Abraham Cohn

Resident of Oakland

2/24/38–5/9/12

Horace Abraham Cohn was born in Tilsit, East Prussia to Herta and Kurt Cohn. At the age of 1 he immigrated to Brooklyn, N.Y., where he was raised in a home with many relatives who had fled Europe. In 1949 he moved west to Berkeley, where he attended Berkeley High School followed by U.C. Berkeley. Horace spent over 40 years working with Metropolitan Life Insurance company in sales and later as the manager of the greater Oakland office, where he developed many lifelong relationships with his coworkers. He also was a trustee for the police and fire retirement board of Oakland. He was a member of AZA Oakland chapter 42 and also a longtime member of Temple Sinai in Oakland.

Ever since his childhood, he was an avid baseball fan, beginning with the Dodgers and later transitioning to the Oakland Oaks and then A’s. He shared his passion for baseball by being one of the founding families of the North Oakland Little League (NOLL).

He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Sandra, sons Michael (Ariun) and Jonathan, granddaughter Zia, Cousins Ron (Caroline) Peters and Lenny Cohn. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the charity of your choice.

Gladys G. Eilberg

Gladys G. Eilberg, beloved wife, mother and grandmother, social worker and community leader, died in St. Paul, MN, on May 9, 2012, at the age of 90. She was the devoted mother of Rabbi Amy Eilberg (formerly of Palo Alto) and William Eilberg, mother-in-law of Louis Newman and Kathy Shy, grandmother of Penina Eilberg-Schwartz (of San Francisco), and stepgrandmother of Etan and Jonah Newman.

Born in Uman, Ukraine, she emigrated to the U.S. with her family as a young child. A proud Philadelphian, she graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and earned her Master’s in Social Work, working at a Jewish child and family service agency.

She married Joshua Eilberg in 1944, a loving marriage that lasted over 60 years, until his death. She served as her husband’s unofficial campaign manager and most treasured adviser throughout his decades in public life, as well as pursuing community leadership in her own right. In 1978, she returned to work as Director of Social Work at a Jewish Federation complex for the well elderly in Philadelphia.

A woman of keen intellect and fine taste, she avidly followed political and cultural trends and remained deeply engaged in her synagogue and in the lives of nieces, nephews and cousins almost until her death.

Donations in her memory can be made to the Sholom Home, 730 Kay Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102.

Tybil Faithe Smith Kahn

Tybil Faithe Smith Kahn, 89, died peacefully at the Jewish Home of San Francisco on Friday, May 4, with family at her bedside. A resident of San Jose since 1959, she was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on March 26, 1923, to Jenny and Isaac Smith. She often told of walking through the snow to get to school and about her family’s business of making and delivering Smith’s Corned Beef.

After graduation from high school, she taught school in a rural Canadian town. She then enrolled at the University of Manitoba and the University of Chicago (MA). Tybil was deeply proud of her service to those in need as a social worker. She worked at Jewish Family Services, Agnews State Hospital, Santa Clara County Head Start and Valley Medical Center. She later began a clinical psychotherapy practice, helping individuals and couples.

A lifetime member of the National Association of Social Workers, she was active in its activities along with those of AAUW, University of Chicago alumni, Hadassah, Brandeis University Women, League of Women Voters and other community groups.

A lifelong reader and proponent of Yiddish, Tybil taught the first Yiddish class offered at Stanford University and frequently taught and read Yiddish around the Bay Area. Her annual reading of a Yiddish poem at Kol Nidre services was a tradition at Congregation Beth David for decades. Always involved in the community, she was instrumental in the founding of the Congregation Sinai nursery school, the South Peninsula Hebrew Day School and San Jose’s first Jewish Community Center.

She was married to Allan Kahn for 46 years until his death in 1995. She is survived by her children and children-in-law, David Kahn and Pam Grossman, Dr. Zevi and Karen Kahn, Rabbi Yoel Kahn and Dan Bellm, and grandchildren, Benjamin, Rebecca, Adam, Rachel and Sarah, her sisters Dorothy and Mickey, and friends in Canada, San Jose and, most recently, San Francisco. The family expresses its gratitude to the entire staff of G-2 at the Jewish Home for their compassionate care in her last years.

Memorial contributions to Allan and Tybil Kahn Memorial Fund at Congregation Beth El, 1301 Oxford St., Berkeley, CA 94707, in support of an annual adult education program.

Betty Rosenblatt

Betty Rosenblatt, wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, great-aunt, sister, cousin and friend to many, passed away peacefully at her son’s home in Redwood City, Calif., on April 19. She was born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y. She later met Martin Rosenblatt at a USO dance and married him. They moved to San Francisco, where they raised their four sons.

She taught kindergarten at Temple Judea. She was on the forefront of the battle to help free Russians Jews working with Hal and Selma Light. She and her husband prepared their Jewish food favorites for Café Shalom at the San Francisco JCC, with hundreds of people coming every Saturday night from as far away as Stockton and Sacramento. Her warmth, energy and great cooking helped make Café Shalom into a major gathering place for the Jewish/Israeli community. She was later offered the position as cook at the local Israeli embassy. Her home was always open to friends, family and strangers; adopting those who needed a family and a place to stay.

Relocating to Houston, Texas, Betty and Marty became members of Congregation Beth Yeshurun, where it was rare for them to miss a Shabbat service. Betty involved herself in Jewish education, taking many classes, and was always unafraid to ask questions. Betty and Marty were always seen together at concerts, lectures and the yearly Jewish book fair. She had many friends. For her, there was no such thing as strangers, just people she hadn’t met yet.

She will be missed by her family and those whose lives she touched, both here in the San Francisco Bay Area and in Houston, Texas. For those who may want to honor her memory, a contribution can be given to Beth Yeshurun, 4525 Beechnut St., Houston TX 77096 or a charity of your choice. She is survived by her sister Evelyn Zelinsky, her brother Bob Mages, her four sons, Robin, Yale (Marcia), Ross (Linda) and Kim (Debbie) and her two granddaughters, Rebecca and Dina.