Martha Lev-Zion
Jewish History
Articles
Index of Jewish
History Articles
Jewish History by
Esther Rechtschafner
Eye Witness
Retaliation against Bund
Gordin History by
Tela Zasloff
Rezekne Family Stories
and Genealogies
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Holocaust (Shoa) and
Mass Burial Sites
Jadviga Arcihovska Hero
Saved Jewish Lives
Dr. Martha Lev-Zion was an historian of modern European intellectual history. She held this position as well as the position of official hostess for foreign guests and students at the Ben Gurion University, in Be'er Sheva, Israel. She had a Ph.D. in history. She knew quite a few languages: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Hebrew.
She was founder and president of the Negev (southern) branch of the Israel Genealogical Society and served on the founding committee of the Israel Genealogical Research Association. She is a former director on the IAJGS board of directors and past president of the international Latvia SIG. She was co-founder and served on the steering committee of the Courland Research Group. Dr. Lev-Zion was one of three founders of the annual one day seminar for researching genealogy in Israel and actively served on that committee right up to the time of her passing. She was a research genealogist and helped many find their family roots. She has researched her own family and found the 250 family members killed in the Holocaust.
Dr. Lev-Zion wrote extensively and lectured around the world about the Jews of Franconia & Thüringen [Germany] and Courland [Latvia]. She was associated with the Centre for Judaic Studies of the University of Latvia.
She also authored the book Taking Tamar. This book tells about her adopted daughter Tamar, who had been an abandoned baby with Down's syndrome; and how she lovingly raised her to reach an exceptionally high academic level.
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From: Garri Regev, President IGRA [mailto:garrir@gmail.com]Sent: Tuesday, February 11, 2014 10:08 PM
Subject: With great sorrow
It is with great sadness that I inform you that Martha Lev-Zion passed away this afternoon at her home in Omer, surrounded by close friends (including myself). Martha has been fighting this last illness for a couple of years with amazing strength and courage. As many of you may recall Martha was very involved in the genealogy world in Israel - founding the Negev branch of the IGS and running it for many years. She then served on the Executive of IGRA being a founder of the group and an integral part of the organization, helping with our databases and programming. Martha was a director on the IAJGS board of directors and a past president of the international Latvia SIG. She was co-founder and served on the steering committee of the Courland Research Group. She wrote extensively about the Jewis of Franconia & Thuringen [Germany] and Courland [Latvia]. Dr. Martha Lev-Zion was an historian of modern European intellectual history and lectured at the Ben Gurion University. She also authored the book Taking Tamar.
The funeral will be in Omer tomorrow (February 12, 2014) at 14:30. There will be shiva following the funeral on Wednesday and on Thursday at her home in Omer, 15 Shaked. Martha will be missed by all those who knew her. May her memory be for a blessing.
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Nu? What's New?
The E-zine of Jewish Genealogy From Avotaynu
Gary Mokotoff, Editor
Volume 15, Number 6a | February 11, 2014
Special Edition
Martha Lev-Zion Z”L (1940–2014)
Jewish genealogy has lost one of its smiling faces. Martha Lev-Zion died on February 11 at her home in Israel.
Martha had a profound effect on genealogy both in words and acts. She was founder and president of the Negev branch of the Israel Genealogical Society and served on the founding committee of the Israel Genealogical Research Association. She was a former member of the IAJGS board of directors and past president of the Latvia SIG of JewishGen. She was co-founder and served on the steering committee of the Courland Research Group. Dr. Lev-Zion is one of three founders of the annual one-day seminar for researching genealogy in Israel and until recently actively served on that committee. She wrote extensively about the Jews of Franconia and Thüringen (Germany) and Courland (Latvia) including an article in the Fall 2013 issue of AVOTAYNU about where to look for archival records of Baltic-area countries.
She authored the book Taking Tamar which described her experiences adopting and bringing up, as a single mother, a child with Down syndrome. It demonstrated three of her personal attributes: love, warmth and persistence.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, she made aliya in 1977. Professionally, Martha was a historian of modern European intellectual history. She held a doctorate in history and was associated with Ben Gurion University in the Negev portion of Israel for many years.
Most importantly, she was a lovely person to know.
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Martha Lev Zion (May She Rest in Peace) 1940-2014
Martha and I first met when I came to a meeting of the Negev (southern Israel) branch of the Israel Genealogical Society in 1997. This was the beginning of this branch; by way of conversations, the members got to know each other, and about each other's backgrounds in genealogical research.
From the beginning of 1998, we began to meet in a permanent place; which was in the Synagogue "Magen Abraham" in Omer.
From the time of the beginning of the organization of the branch; since I did not know of lecturers in the Be'er Sheva area, I took upon myself the job of being treasurer of this branch. This was the simplest way for us to get to know each other. We divided the administrative work and burden between both of us.
I learned that Martha - who had already gone on early pension, due to her illness- had worked as a Doctor of History in the Ben-Gurion University in the Negev. Because of this position, she had connection with many of her Israeli colleagues. Since I was then just beginning to do genealogical research, I did not at first understand the meaning of all of the connections that Martha already had in the entire Jewish genealogical world.
As time progressed and as we got to know each other a better, I learned about Martha and her daughter Tamar. I learned about the ever-continuing battles that Martha had with official institutions (sometimes against stone walls) in her trying to have Tamar get to reach the best of her ability, not only at home; but in the outside world. Martha succeeded in bringing up a wonderful daughter, who has found her way, despite the handicap she was born with.
As a person and a woman, Martha always showed humility and modesty in her ways. Throughout the years she suffered ups and downs wither sickness. With the help of the treatment she received and her own very strong inner strength, she always succeeded in overcoming the sickness and continue with her life, and with all of its' complications.
I part with Martha and with this loss with a part of my life, in which I found partners and colleagues who were interested in Jewish genealogy. I realize that, due to this interest, I had the honor to know Martha.
Let Her Soul of Martha Lev Zion Be Blessed,
Channa Furman, Kiryat Gat.
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Martha -- Let her memory be blessed.
Martha
- You loved our country: its' flowers, animals, the state and the people.
- You loved our people: our history; and also all the Jews throughout the world;
and you were always ready to help all of us.
- You loved all of your friends with a strong love, and you were a good, charming and faithful friend.
- You loved your close family and your larger family and paid much honor to those of them
who lost their lives in the Holocaust.
- And most of all you loved your daughter Tamar.
We will remember you always and pray for your soul and for a successful future for Tamar.
Thank you for being our friend.
Mordechai and Esther Rechtschafner
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Martha Lev-Zion was a wonderful person. She was warm and loving and her dedication to her daughter Tamar will live on in her beautiful book. She had great qualities as a friend and was always ready to offer help and advice to anyone researching their roots whether in Latvia, Israel or elsewhere in the World. She used her knowledge of History to write papers which she presented at different Conferences, one of the last being Boston in August 2012. She contributed a great deal to the Courland Group.
She also organised the data at Kibbutz Shefayim which is a resource for Latvian researchers’ in Israel.
Files housed in the Archives of the association of Latvian and Estonian Jews at Kibbutz
Shefayim in Israel.
Compiled by Martha Levinson Lev-Zion
She bore her Illness with great fortitude and was resigned to her fate. We shall all miss her.
Deepest sympathies to Tamar and her family.
Arlene Beare, Past President, Latvia SIG
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Dear Alan and Committee,
The world will be poorer for her passing. Martha was an extraordinary woman, mother, author and genealogist.
My Aunt [Esther Rachtschafner] in Israel was friends with her and as well as meeting with her here she made a great effort to be in touch with me at the Los Angeles conference. Unfortunately Martha was sick for a long time. Many of us will miss her.
Debbie Jurblum, VP Melbourne Genealogical Society.