Obituaries are supported by a generous grant from Sinai Memorial Chapel.
Norman Baum
It is a long road from Buffalo to Bangkok. However, Norman Baum managed to walk this right path for 89 years! He started by learning Yiddish at the Saranac Schul with The Workmen’s Circle. He became fluent in French and Spanish at Bennett High School and then Russian at the University of Buffalo. After graduation he was drafted and spent two interesting years in the Army in Okinawa. He returned “stateside” and earned a Master of Global Management degree from the American Graduate School of International Management in Arizona (Thunderbird).
Norman’s first position was working for United States Information Services (USIS) in Libreville, Gabon, the capital city on the coast of Central Africa. French was the official language. He spent his vacation time visiting extended family in Pretoria, Johannesburg and Cape Town. Thus began his dedication to meeting his family around the world.
In 1963 while visiting his sister Zoe, who was living on the Presidio in San Francisco, Norman got a call offering him a position in Bangkok, Thailand, working for USIS again. Two days later he was on the plane to Bangkok where he lived for the rest of his life. He was hired to teach English to Navy personnel, and he learned to speak Thai fluently. Norman loved Bangkok and after several years opened his own business: an upscale shop called The House of Siam. He sold silk, jewelry and antiques among other things. Since he spoke Thai fluently, he would go “up-country” to buy crafts from the various villages. Norman loved the food, the historical treasures, the interesting friends from around the world and the Jewish community. He found his new home in Bangkok but continued to travel to Riga, Moscow, Pretoria, Johannesburg, Melbourne, Singapore, Cambodia, Washington and Israel. He visited his family in Buffalo, Hillsborough, San Francisco, Palo Alto and New Zealand. His nieces and nephews remember him by the unique gifts he brought them when they were children.
Norman’s love of his family’s history was enhanced by his extensive research through local newspapers, municipal records, cemetery listings and dates. He searched through records of relatives killed in the Shoah. The information he gleaned while talking to his family in Moscow and Latvia continued to drive him to seek out even more information about who went missing and how they survived during the Second World War. He managed to connect unknown relatives around the world. His Judaism was his moral compass.
Norman was extremely generous to those in need. His philanthropy included Chabad in Bangkok, the Jewish agencies in Latvia, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Magen David Adom (MDA) in Israel. On a personal level, he distributed money to families to buy food, clothing and medical care while visiting his relatives.
At the first International Conference on the Holocaust held at Yad Vashem in Israel, Norman met with Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal. Norman represented the Jewish Community of Thailand at this important three-day conference. He arranged to meet up with a good friend from his Buffalo days, Dr. Clinton Bailey, who was an expert on the ancient traditions of the nomadic Bedouin tribes of the Middle East. Both men felt traditions of culture and history were the driving forces in their lives.
In an article that Norman wrote after attending this important conference of Jewish leaders and educators from around the world, he concluded by quoting the late Simon Dubov who was murdered by fascists in Latvia. As Dubov was about to be shot, he yelled “Farshreib oon Farshreibt!” — “Write and Record!” Norman Baum did both of those things for the rest of his life.
Norman is survived by his sister, Zoe Stein (Richard), née Alice Baum, of Napa Valley, California. He was the proud son of Evelyn and Albert Baum who left Latvia in the 1920s and made a home in Buffalo. His dear siblings, Marvin Baum and Lois Lasky, passed away decades earlier.
The Baum family considered Norman as their backbone, and they are heartbroken at his loss. He is adored by his many nieces and nephews around the world. Norman Baum left a legacy of friendship and a “good name” to all who were fortunate enough to know him.
Norman passed away in Bangkok on Dec. 9, 2024.
Arnold “Arnie” Brookstone
Arnold F. “Arnie” Brookstone, age 94¾, passed away peacefully in his new home in Los Altos, California, with his daughter, Susan, at his side. Exactly 100 days earlier, Arnie moved from Chicago to Los Altos to be “in the same ZIP code” as Susan and his son-in-law, Bill.
Born and raised in Chicago, Arnie enrolled at just 16 at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting with Honors. He was a member and later president of Tau Epsilon Phi (TEP) fraternity. Arnie then pursued law at Northwestern University, where he was selected for the prestigious Northwestern University Law Review.
During a winter holiday in Miami Beach, Florida, fate introduced Arnie to Adrienne Lee Haft, a fellow Chicagoan who soon became his wife. Prioritizing time with his new bride, he transferred to DePaul University School of Law, where he earned his Juris Doctor (JD) degree.
Arnie combined his legal and financial expertise into a remarkable 60+-year career in business. He served as Senior VP & CFO of Stone Container Corporation, a Fortune 100 company, and held board positions with a dozen companies of varying sizes. His impact extended beyond business; Arnie was a dedicated nonprofit leader, serving as President of Chicago’s Council of Jewish Elderly and as a member of Northwestern’s Institutional Review Board for novel cancer research, among many other roles.
A passionate traveler, Arnie along with Adrienne visited 77 different countries, embracing new cultures and experiences. Philanthropy was another key focus of Arnie and Adrienne’s lives. As described by Northwestern’s Development Team, “The Brookstones dedicated themselves to making positive change in the world. True philanthropists, their generosity was enhanced by their loyalty and commitment to causes with a lasting impact on future generations.” Examples include establishment of the annual Brookstone Conference on Teenage Mental Health and the Gordon Brookstone Fund at the Jewish Federation of Chicago that provides direct service
grants to individuals, families, and organizations, particularly for victims of terrorism in
Israel or for programs to help such victims.
Arnie will be deeply missed by those who knew him. He was smart, kind, generous, charming, and witty. Arnie was also a wise and inspiring mentor, profoundly influencing his colleagues and friends.
Preceded in death by Adrienne, his beloved wife of 66 years, and their son, Gordie, Arnie leaves behind his loving daughter Susan (Bill) Mirbach and his cherished granddaughters Marissa Mirbach (Santa Cruz) and Kenlyn Mirbach (Mill Valley). He is also survived by three nieces, a nephew, two grandnieces, and four grandnephews, several of whom reside in California.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Arnie’s memory to:
- S.F. Jewish Federation: https://go.jewishfed.org/arnold-brookstone
- Northwestern Memorial Foundation — Focused Forward Program for Adolescent
- Mental Health: https://tinyurl.com/ArnoldBrookstone
Oscar Firschein
Computer scientist, engineer, Renaissance man, husband, father, and grandfather, Oscar Firschein passed away on March 5 at the age of 97. Son of a printer in Brooklyn, N.Y., he pioneered research in the early field of artificial intelligence. Along with the founders of AI, he had influence in the development of key AI technologies, such as the ability of satellites to recognize images from space, autonomous land vehicles, remote piloted aircraft, and NASA space station automation. He participated in Dialog, one of the first library information retrieval systems and search engines. He published multiple articles and books, including a leading textbook on AI, “Intelligence: The Eye, the Brain and the Computer.”
Oscar was a senior member of the Lockheed Palo Alto Research Laboratory; he also worked as a scientific leader in the Perception Group at the Artificial Intelligence Center at SRI International; and at DARPA in Washington, D.C., where, as a program manager he directed significant research in the field of image understanding. He taught and consulted at Stanford University, the University of California, Berkeley, and San Jose State University.
As a child, he tinkered with radios and chemicals, burning through his mother’s pots and pans, vexing his parents. He later earned a B.E.E. in Electrical Engineering from the City College of New York and an M.S. in Applied Mathematics from the University of Pittsburgh. He worked on major construction projects with the Army Corps of Engineers, including a gigantic dam and a hospital, and programmed one of the first modern computers for Republic Aviation.
He and his wife, Theda, moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1960s when he began to work for the Palo Alto Research Laboratory at Lockheed. Oscar and Theda’s creek-side home near the Stanford campus hosted an eclectic stream of visitors, from counterculture dreamers and artists to leaders in technology and education as well as industry. The home brimmed with circuit board sculptures, art, an encyclopedic collection of books, and a one-ton printing press rescued from his father’s Brooklyn print shop, Firschein Press, including its wooden type and original posters. An old Victrola with Yiddish records rounded out the scene. Theda worked on a bookmobile that went through the small communities along the redwoods and the coast, and later, as a children’s librarian.
They raised two children, Ben and Joseph. Oscar was a great father, always interested in whatever projects his boys had going on, whether it was building a darkroom in a closet to develop black-and-white photographs, or using some of the first personal computers to interest them in programming. He loved interacting with his three grandchildren — watching their development with the pride of a grandparent and the curiosity of a computer scientist who spent a lifetime studying intelligence and cognitive development. He also loved sharing stories with them on his childhood and early family life, as well as sharing his wonder and awe at the world, with its mathematical patterns and improbability.
Oscar and Theda were always incredibly giving of their time; many people have remarked at how they positively changed people’s lives. Oscar had a great influence on the careers of his graduate students; many went on to leading professorships and significant careers in industry.
Devoted to studying, to the synagogue, to Talmud classes, and to Great Books, Oscar’s intellectual curiosity led him, in his 70s, after a full career in engineering, to earn an M.L.A. in Liberal Arts from Stanford University in 2000 and then to edit the program’s literary magazine, Tangents, for almost a decade thereafter. He wrote two memoirs of his life, the latter which he completed just this month. Oscar and Theda recently celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary. Into their later years they could be seen walking arm in arm: As they explained, it was love, but it was also to hold each other up.
Oscar leaves behind a rich legacy of accomplishments, family and friends. He had an amazing life that spanned nearly a century. He will be remembered and missed.
Donations in Oscar’s memory may be made to the Yiddish Book Center and Congregation Kol Emeth.
Dennis Ronald Kay
Dennis Ronald Kay — dedicated husband, father, grandfather and friend — passed away at home after a short battle with leukemia, in Foster City, CA, on Friday, February 21, 2025.
Dennis was born to Phillip and Eleanor Kay in Detroit, MI, on February 18, 1942. His family relocated to Southern California in 1948, where he attended Van Nuys High School, graduating in 1959. Dennis attended Los Angeles Trade Tech where he received his AA in Restaurant Management, launching a career in the food service industry that would span 50+ years.
Dennis met his lifelong love, Sandra, as a teenager in BBYO. They married on June 17, 1962, and then welcomed their first child, Allyson. Within a few short years the Kay family grew to five with the births of Heather and Matthew. After a decade of life in the greater Los Angeles area, Dennis moved his young family north, eventually settling in Foster City where he and Sandra would weave the Kay name into the fabric of the community.
At a young age Dennis discovered the importance of, and satisfaction derived from, a life of service to others. In 1961 he volunteered for the Jewish Big Brothers program, through which he met and mentored Richard Rodstein; their relationship would endure until Dennis’ passing. Between 1973 and 1980 Dennis served as BBYO advisor to Machar AZA. From 1983 to 1985, Dennis served as a Commissioner on San Mateo County’s Human Relations Commission, and between 1986 and 2020, he served as a Volunteer Mediator for San Mateo Court’s Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center. He acted as a Grand Juror for the San Mateo Superior Court from 1994 to 1996, and served as a Foster City Citizen Volunteer for over 35 years. Later in his life, Dennis volunteered with the Cancer Society, driving patients to and from their treatments.
Though his selfless contributions in the service of others were officially acknowledged in 1989 when he received the Better Business Bureau’s Arbitrator of the Year Award, and again in 1998 and 1999 when he received the B’nai B’rith Akiba Award, Dennis’ greatest acknowledgements were those that came in the form of lasting friendships with people he might otherwise not have come to know.
Dennis had many interests in life, but closest to his heart were travel, classic cars, New Orleans jazz and Classical music. His greatest personal satisfaction came from being a grandfather and beloved “Papa” to his four grandsons.
Dennis is survived by his wife, Sandra; their children, Allyson (Steve) Strauss, Heather (Ken) Weissel, and Matthew (Kate) Kay; and four grandchildren Lorenz, Owen, Roman, and Jack. Dennis was preceded in death by his brothers, Seymour and Robert.
Donations can be made in Dennis’ memory to the following: BBYO Central Region West, Peninsula Sinai Congregation in Foster City, Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters of Los Angeles.
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Edward A. Simon
Dec. 26, 1924–Feb. 19 2025
Edward Simon was born Dec. 26, 1924, and passed away Feb. 19, 2025. Made it to 100 years old. Grew up in the Avenues (Richmond District) in San Francisco and lived most of his life there. Married Elaine Blumenthal in 1949, had two children, Suzanne and Ronald. Lived on 26th Avenue near Fulton Street. He attended Alamo elementary, Presidio middle and Washington high school. He worked most of his adult life for his father-in-law at his pawn shop on Third Street and on Sixth Street, then at his uncle’s pawn shop on Mission Street. His wife
Elaine passed in 1990 and his daughter in 2017. He had a wonderful companion Marilyn Schneider from 1995 till her passing in 2023. They loved to travel and were very close. His sweet disposition will always be his trademark. His son Ronald and daughter-in-law Sarah G. will miss him, as will his grandchildren, Sarah Rachael and David Gray. His memory will always be a blessing to anyone who knew him.