The “heart and soul” of Congregation Beth El’s Torah study group for many years has died.
Terry Ray Borah of Berkeley died April 25 in Oakland. She was 89.
Borah was born Terry Ray Levy in Manhattan to immigrant parents from Eastern Europe. She was the third child in the family, born much later than her two elder brothers. Her father worked in costume jewelry and then later in mutual funds.
She graduated from the City College of New York in 1935 with a degree in business administration, and worked a variety of jobs, including for the government in Washington, D.C.
In 1945, she married Woodrow Borah, whose grandfather was a rabbi. They moved to Berkeley in 1948 so he could take a position as a professor at the university.
For many years, Borah was one of the most active members of the Berkeley synagogue’s Torah study group.
“It was very small when we started,” said Marian Magid, who knew Borah for about 30 years. “She was the person who enlisted people to present each week to Torah study.”
Magid said it was often difficult, convincing extremely busy people, to take the time to present an analysis of the portion of the week.
“And they had to make a presentation that was at a very high standard,” Magid added. “But she was just so persuasive, it was impossible to say no to Terry. When she asked you, you said yes.”
Rabbi Ferenc Raj, spiritual leader of Beth El, called Borah the “heart and soul” of Torah study for many years, adding that she was known to say with pride: “I am a Jewish woman.”
She was also known in the congregation for reaching out to Jews-by-choice, as well as for making her own bagels from scratch, a skill she was all too willing to teach to others.
Borah’s daughter Ruth, who lives in Voorschoten, Holland, said that her mother was always hosting people from around the world. Family seders were filled with people they had met abroad, many of them non-Jews from Latin American countries, since that was her husband’s field of study.
Her son Jonathan of Miranda said, “She believed that joy was a central part of life. She taught us to find it and appreciate it wherever it may be.”
Borah is survived by her two children. Her husband predeceased her.
Donations can be sent to Congregation Beth El, 2301 Vine St., Berkeley, CA 94708.