Obituary of Ruth Lewanda

- Ruth Jeziernicka Lewanda, 98, passed away at her home on July 27, 2011. Ruth was born in Warsaw, Poland in 1913 and was a survivor of the Warsaw Ghetto and the Holocaust. Ruth was born into a family of five brothers and sisters. Her siblings and her parents all perished at the hands of the Nazis in the Holocaust. Miraculously, she survived both the Ghetto and various concentration camps, including Bergen-Belsen. She and her late husband, Donald Lewanda, immigrated to the United States and settled in Albany in 1952. They were happily married for 56 years until his passing in 1988. For many of the years they lived in Albany, Ruth and Donald owned Le-Wanda Jewelers in Delmar. In Germany, where she and Donald were liberated after the war, Ruth was a kindergarten teacher in a camp for displaced persons. In the United States, to memorialize the victims of the Holocaust, Ruth spent much time during the past 30 years teaching young people about that black period in history. At schools - public, private and parochial - and at synagogues in Albany and Connecticut, she told her story and educated students about the evils of hatred and prejudice. Among others, she was asked to speak at SUNYA, Emma Willard and St. Theresa School. In 2010, Ruth received a Senior Lifetime Achievement Award from the Capital District Senior Issues Forum for her educational efforts. She was also interviewed by NPR about her experiences during the Holocaust. Wherever and whenever she spoke, she would always sing "Mein Yiddishe Mameh" (My Jewish Mother) and "The Partisan Song" (the fighting song of the Jewish Warsaw Ghetto fighters) to honor the family she lost and all who were murdered by the Nazis. Ruth will be remembered as an extraordinary woman, a loving wife, mother, mother-in-law and grandmother. In addition to her husband, Ruth was predeceased by a young son who died in the Holocaust. Ruth is survived by her sons Marek Lewanda (Pamela), of North Stamford, CT and Joseph Lewanda (Debbie), of Slingerlands, NY. She is also survived by her grandchildren Daniel and Jenna Lewanda. Funeral services will be held at 1:00pm on Thursday, July 28, 2011 at Levine Memorial Chapel, 649 Washington Avenue, Albany, with interment following at Temple Israel Cemetery on Western Avenue. The family will sit shiva at the home of Joseph and Debbie Lewanda following the burial and on Friday from 12-4 pm and commencing again on Saturday evening at 9pm. The family wishes to thank The Community Hospice of Albany and Ruth's professional caregivers for their assistance. No flowers please. However, contributions in Ruth's memory may be made to Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger, PO Box 894765, Los Angeles, CA 90189-4765; The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Donation Processing Center, PO Box 7022, Albert Lea, MN 56007-8022; or the charity of your choosing.