Obituaries are supported by a generous grant from Sinai Memorial Chapel.
Janet Bensu
Sept. 22,1932–June 1, 2023
Our beloved Janet Bensu died in San Francisco at 90 years old after a rich and full life. Janet was born in New Rochelle, New York, to Irving and Helen (Rosengarten) Levine. Janet was predeceased by her brother, Stanley Levine. She leaves behind her niece, Lisa Kassin of White Plains, New York, and her surrogate family, Rhonda, Lukas and Asa Felzmann, along with the myriad friends who loved her deeply.
Janet, a longtime member of Congregation Sherith Israel, was a people magnet. She collected friends as naturally as a bee collects pollen. Everyone who knew her — lifelong pals from her childhood, fellow swimmers toweling off in the pool locker room, older adults attending classes at the Fromm Institute or the countless recipients of her volunteer work — loved and admired her.
With her quick wit, bright smile and contagious laugh, Janet exuded vitality and positivity. Throughout her inspiring life, she faced every challenge with courage and conviction and was deeply respected for her remarkable talents and achievements.
A math whiz from an early age, she attended Purdue and Ohio State University majoring in mathematics at a time when women were discouraged from pursuing such degrees. After briefly teaching high school math, Janet joined IBM and worked in New York and London as a systems engineer and IT specialist where she was usually the only woman in the room. After moving to San Francisco, she worked for Levi Strauss before starting her own HR software business, Bensu, Inc.
With more energy than people half her age, Janet’s typical day started at 5:00 a.m. when she headed to the USF Koret pool to swim with the Masters team. She began swimming competitively at age 70 and set individual and team records for breaststroke, relay and long-distance events including the mile. One of Janet’s swim meets included the Senior Olympic Games and, at the ripe age of 80, she and her team set a new world record.
Janet believed in giving back. She volunteered as a docent at the California Academy of Sciences and the S.F. Botanical Garden and channeled her love of animals at the local SPCA. Janet trained her beloved miniature pinscher, Rosie (like Freddy before her), as a therapy dog and visited homebound elders for Jewish Family and Children’s Services. In 2011, JFCS honored Janet with a Fammy Award for her extraordinary service and commitment.
A global traveler, Janet explored the world — from Cuba, India and Israel to Morocco, Turkey and Poland. At home, she relaxed by curling up on the couch with Rosie and knitting spectacular jackets, coats and sweaters. Always the perfectionist, Janet would “rip” to the first row to correct the tiniest flaw. (Once, after a long flight, the man seated next to her said, “There’s less on your needles now than when we first took off!”)
Above all, Janet was fiercely independent. People marveled at her energy and strength, her determination and optimism. She believed deeply in positive thinking. And she never let anything get in her way.
Janet will always be remembered for her hearty laughter. It was heartfelt. It was contagious. And like Janet herself, it was a blessing.
A celebration of her life is being planned for late in the summer.
Stephen Gary Eiselman
June 2, 1938–July 10, 2023
Steve Eiselman grew up in the “happy days” of the 1950s in Alameda, California, with his flat top, white t-shirt with rolled sleeves and chinos, cruising in cool cars and hanging out at the local drug store listening to the latest music with his friends.
A true Bay Area native, Steve was born in 1938 to Sally and Louis Eiselman in San Francisco. He was the eldest of four, with siblings Gerry, Danny, and Nancy.
He was the father of three children (Amy, Julie, Michael) with Beth Eiselman (née Feldhammer). They lived until 1980 in the Montclair hills and then later in Lafayette. At home, he loved the view of the S.F. Bay and BBQs on their deck. He enjoyed taking his children to mini-golf, Tilden Park, the Oakland Zoo, summer vacations at Lake Tahoe, and taking drives in his vintage Porsche. Sundays were spent with the entire family — his children, parents and siblings — at his parents’ Alameda home.
Steve joined his father, Louis Eiselman, in the family business of service merchandising, serving many of the independently owned grocery stores in San Francisco and the Bay Area. The business grew together with his brothers Gerry and Danny with dedication to customer service and employee well-being. He was a respected leader of the National Association of Service Merchandisers where he was instrumental in innovating and bringing important players together. He cherished the friendships and connections he made through NASM.
Steve loved music and imparted his talents and tastes to his children. He built his own stereo with top-of-the-line speakers and enjoyed playing the latest hits and deep cuts of the ’60s and ’70s when relaxing at home.
Steve was a true sports fan. He loved the S.F. 49ers and S.F. Giants, attending games at Oaks Field, Kezar, Candlestick and Oracle parks. He also loved the game of golf, playing and watching on weekends. It is quite possible that Steve was a pioneer of fantasy football in the early ’60s, every Monday night calculating weekly scores of the participants with his red pencil, yellow marker, and ruler.
Steve was strongly connected to the Jewish community of the Bay Area as a lifelong member of Temple Sinai and as a president of the East Bay Jewish Federation. He traveled to Israel on missions with the Federation and later with his family. His commitment to Judaism and Israel has been passed to his children and grandchildren through his connection to Jewish education, tradition, and culture.
Steve married Cheryl in 1988, living together in Moraga and then Danville. They enjoyed a happy life of travel, lifelong friends, and dinners out. Steve’s greatest joy was spending time with his beloved children and grandchildren at their home in Danville.
Steve Eiselman is survived by his wife of 35 years, Cheryl Eiselman, his children Amy Ritz, Julie Lewis (Ari Lewis), and Michael Eiselman (Jessica Eiselman) as well as their grandchildren Adam and Zoe Ritz, Simona, Jonah, and Ruby Lewis, and Abby, Shayna, and Zack Eiselman.
Donations in his memory may be made to:
- Polycystic Kidney Disease Foundation, pkdcure.org
- Jewish National Fund, jnf.org
Jerrol L. Harris
April 21, 1933–June 27, 2023
Jerrol L. Harris died at home in Palo Alto on June 27, 2023 at age 90.
Jerry was born April 21, 1933 in Peoria, Illinois, the younger of two sons of Jacob and Freada Harris. His grandparents, Solomon and Rachel Harris, had arrived from the Old Country in the late 1800s and established a store selling work clothes (still operating today as Sam Harris Clothing and Uniforms). After graduating from the University of Illinois, Jerry came to California and within weeks was introduced to native San Franciscan Judy Wolf. They married in 1959. She survives him, along with his son Jim (Lisa Friedman) and daughter Gail (David Reider), and four grandchildren: Livia and Ben Reider, Franny and Addie Harris.
Jerry had a 40-year executive career at California Casualty Insurance Company. In parallel, he served in the insurance industry’s national CPCU organization, leading CPCU as president in 1992. He was a longtime director of San Francisco’s Herbst Foundation and a past director of Peninsula Temple Sholom. In his retirement years, Jerry wrote beautiful poetry, volunteered at Stanford University’s English in Action program, and served as a mediator at Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center. Above all he loved spending time with his family, enjoying dinners at Buck’s, shows at the Stanford Jazz Festival, and especially the annual family gathering in Maine.
Private services were held. The family extends their gratitude to Jerry’s caregivers during his illness: Mau, Camilla and Lute. If you wish to make a contribution in Jerry’s memory, please consider the Oshman Family JCC (paloaltojcc.org) or Jewish Family and Children’s Services in Palo Alto (jfcs.org).
Sylvia Krieger Metz
October 7, 1938–June 26, 2023
Sylvia Metz passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving family on June 26, 2023.
Born in the 1930s in Katowice, Poland, Sylvia and her parents, Dorothy and Dave Krieger, immigrated to New York City when she was under 2 years old, narrowly escaping World War II in Europe. She was raised in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, and Jamaica Estates, Queens. Her family vacationed in the Catskills during the summer.
Sylvia attended Adelphi University for her bachelor’s degree in theater arts and New York University for her master’s degree in education and became a kindergarten teacher. She was devoted to her students and to the opportunities that a good educational start could provide them. Following her retirement, she continued to develop and support children’s educational programming.
In the late 1960s, Sylvia took a road trip with a friend to California and loved the Bay Area and decided to make California her home. She soon met her beloved husband of 55 years, Leonard Metz, on a blind date and they were engaged after 6 weeks and married after 6 months. When asked at their 50th anniversary what she believed was the reason behind their good marriage, she said that she and Leonard always put each other’s interests before their own.
They resided in Saratoga, California, for 43 years and she created a close community of friends that were like family. She was a devoted mother to her two children, Jason (Lisa) and Holly, and grandmother to David and Sara. There was nothing that she enjoyed more than her visits with her grandchildren and having time to play with them.
Sylvia was a natural community builder and sat on many boards in Jewish Silicon Valley and held numerous volunteer roles. She was an early and lifelong member of Congregation Beth David and a past president of the Addison-Penzak Jewish Community Center. She used her teacher’s license to start Yavneh Day School and taught kindergarten and high school at Beth David. She served on the boards of Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley, Brandeis and South Peninsula Hebrew Day School, and was an active supporter of Hillel, Hadassah and many other organizations. She continued to provide mentorship, support, and inspiration well into her eighties. She had an irresistible energy and optimism that left people feeling that no goal was impossible or out of reach. She was very proud of this generation’s leadership.
She was predeceased by her mother and father, Dorothy and Dave Krieger, and daughter Marlena.
Sylvia is survived by her husband, Leonard; her children Jason (daughter-in-law Lisa) and Holly; grandchildren David and Sara; and sister Loretta. She is also survived by her loving extended family and her close community of friends.
Many thanks to our family and friends for their continued love and support. In lieu of flowers, those wishing to remember Sylvia may make a donation to the causes that were important to her:
- Jewish Silicon Valley, jvalley.org
- Congregation Beth David, beth-david.org
- Hillel Silicon Valley, hillelsv.org
- American Cancer Society, cancer.org
Bernard (Bernie) Rosen
March 21, 1928–July 6, 2023
Bernard (Bernie) Rosen was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Eastern European immigrants Fanny and Hyman Rosen. He is survived by his wife Janice of 72 years, his children Steven, Stuart and Roberta, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Bernie grew up in New York, and after graduating from a technical high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served for two years until 1947. Following his military service, he attended CCNY where he received his bachelor’s in engineering. He went on to receive his master’s in electrical engineering from Brooklyn Polytechnic.
In 1951 he met and married Janice Rosen (née Raskin) and started his career as an electrical engineer with Polarad. In the early 1960s Bernie moved his family to California and embarked on a successful executive career with the company Watkins-Johnson spanning more than thirty years and becoming one of the longest-serving employees in the company.
Bernie’s work took him to many places overseas, and he became an enthusiastic and avid traveler. He also developed a passion for cycling and joined different social biking groups. Upon retirement, Bernie began to tutor mathematics at a variety of high schools and adult education programs where he helped many students pass their math G.E.D. He lived a long and fulfilling life. He was greatly loved and will be sorely missed.
Mark Steven Tandowsky
Feb. 22, 1959–July 6, 2023
Mark Steven Tandowsky was born on Feb. 22, 1959, in Oakland, CA. He graduated from University of California Berkeley with a bachelor’s in English. He worked for 35 years in the tech industry as an editor. He was taken from us far too soon on July 6, 2023.
Mark was never far from a book or 12, reading most everything from Asimov to Zinn. He enjoyed Cal football, music, theater, travel, and reminding people that UC Berkeley has two elements on the periodic table over Stanford’s 0. He always had a joke (or a complaint disguised as a joke) ready for any situation. He made everyone feel special by remembering occasions with a personalized card, handwritten in his inimitable miniscule writing and style. His wit and charm will be greatly missed.
He is survived by his wife Victoria, his daughters Mara and Natalie, his brother Ross, his mother Eleanor Tandowsky, his large extended family, and his many, many friends. His father, Richard Tandowsky, preceded him in death.
A funeral was held July 12 at Gan Shalom Cemetery in Briones, CA. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to be made to the Berkeley Library Fund, Moe’s Books in Berkeley, or your favorite charity.
Go Bears!
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