Max Fuchs, who led Jewish service in Germany during WWII, dies at 96
Max Fuchs, an American soldier who helped lead a historic Jewish religious service in Germany during World War II, has died.
Fuchs, an Army rifleman who led the 1944 Shabbat service in Aachen alongside Army chaplain Rabbi Sidney Lefkowitz, for some 50 Jewish American soldiers, died July 3, according to The New York Times. It was the first Jewish service broadcast from Germany since the rise of Hitler more than a decade earlier, and was shown throughout the United States and in Germany.
“The emotion was tremendous,” Fuchs said of the service in an interview for the American Jewish Committee in 2009. “The soldiers had heard of all the atrocities. Most of them had families that perished in the Holocaust. We had so many of my family.”
The Army division had no cantor, so Fuchs agreed to fill the role.
“Since I was the only one who could do it, I tried my best,” Fuchs told The Times.
Fuchs, a native of Poland, moved to New York at age 12 with his family. After the war he studied cantorial music and served as the cantor of the Bayside Jewish Center in Queens, and also worked as a diamond cutter in Manhattan, The Times reported.
Fighting in the war left Fuchs with nightmares, and he rarely spoke about his experience with his family, though he did hang a photograph in his home of himself leading the iconic service.
—JTA News and Features
Lionel Felsen
Lionel Felsen, of Fairfax Station and Delray Beach, Fla., died June 22. He was 81. Felsen was a longtime dentist who was active in Northern Virginia’s Jewish community. He and his wife, Sheila, were members of Congregation Olam Tikvah in Fairfax, and were also involved in the Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia, Chabad and Friends of the Israel Defense Forces.
Felsen, is survived by his wife of 60 years, Sheila Felsen; children David (Debbie) Felsen, Daniel (Beth) Felsen and Deborah (Scott) Gould; grandchildren Briana Felsen, Sammy Felsen, Sara Felsen, Benjamin Felsen, Noah Felsen, Jacob Gould and Jenna Gould; and siblings Joan Felsen and Stanley Felsen. Contributions can be made to FIDF at lonnyfelsenfidf.com.
Ruth Fine
Ruth Fine, of Silver Spring, died July 5. She was the beloved wife of the late George Fine; devoted mother of Maryetta (the late Larry) Suls and Marc (Susan) Fine; dear grandmother of Edward and Lauren Suls, Todd (Ellyn) Fine, Stephanie (Lee) Brody and Shari (Chris) Hudson. Contributions may be made to a charity of choice. Services entrusted to Sagel Bloomfield Danzansky Goldberg Funeral Care.
Jane Josephs
Jane Josephs, of Bethesda, died June 30. She was the devoted wife of the late Melvin Josephs; loving mother of Abby (Jack) Donnelly and Jessica Josephs; cherished grandmother of Joshua (Katie) Donnelly and Eion Donnelly; adored great-grandmother of Nora Jane Donnelly; loving sister of Jolly Raiss. Contributions can be made to the Bethesda-Chevy Chase YMCA or the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington. Services entrusted to Sagel Bloomfield Danzansky Goldberg Funeral Care.
Shirley Kaufmann
Shirley Kaufmann, of Bethesda, died July 2. She was the beloved wife of the late Harold Kaufmann; devoted mother of Linda (Ian) Kramer, Jim (Mary Thrasher) Kaufmann and Debbie (Stephen Paderofsky) Kaufmann; loving grandmother of Allison (Eric) Stearns, Marc (Sally) Kramer, Jeniffer Kaufmann and Alex (Matt) Eckhout; and great-grandmother of Emily, Abigail, Jessica and Hannah. Contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association or Hospice Caring. Services entrusted to Sagel Bloomfield Danzansky Goldberg Funeral Care.
Steven A. Winkelman
Steven A. Winkelman, of Washington, died July 5. He was 89. Winkelman was born in Philadelphia and raised in Washington. He attended the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and later earned a law degree from Georgetown University. Winkelman practiced law in the District of Columbia and Maryland for more than 50 years in the field of modern estate planning. He served as the president of the D.C. Bar and was a fellow at the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. He also taught at Georgetown Law School for more than 30 years.
Winkelman is survived by his wife of 64 years, Anne Winkelman; children Susan Hock (Alan), Nancy Winkelman, John Winkelman and Michael Winkelman (Donna); sister Ann Brown (Don); and six grandchildren. Contributions may be made to Camphill Village Kimberton Hills in memory of Steve Winkelman, proud grandfather of Sonia Lieberman, 1601 Pughtown Road, Phoenixville, PA 19460.
