Irene Awret

Passed away on June 6, at the age of 93. An accomplished painter and author, Irene was born in Berlin in 1921 and escaped to Belgium in 1939 where she met her husband of almost 70 years, the sculptor Azriel Awret, in a Nazi internment camp in Mechelen, Belgium. She wrote about that period in her autobiography They Will Have to Catch Me First. In 1949 the couple immigrated to Israel where they founded the Safed Artist Colony. In 1982, they moved to the U.S. where they produced some of their best work until the passing of Azriel in 2011 at the age of 101. Irene continued painting and writing until her passing and was blessed with incredible talents and a sunny disposition that sustained her during hard times. A loving mother to Martha and Uzi, a grandmother to Boaz, Ilan and Keolu and a dear and loyal friend to all who knew her across three continents. Irene will be sorely missed. May her soul continue to marvel at the wonders of the universe and put a smile on the good Lord’s lips. Private family funeral. Memorial donations may be made to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in the District.