Our Deepest Sympathies:
* Harry Markowicz, 83, September 15, 2020, Maryland
Hidden Child and Advocate for the Deaf ~ Harry Markowicz, Holocaust survivor, emeritus professor and international advocate for the deaf died at home on September 15, 2020 from cancer. Harry, a hidden child in Belgium during World War II had a 30 year career at Gallaudet University, as a sociolinguist examining the role of American and then French Sign Language in the French deaf community, then as an innovative teacher of English to deaf undergraduates. After retirement Harry’s attention shifted to the US. Holocaust Memorial Museum where he shared his family’s experiences during the war. Born to a Jewish couple in Berlin, Germany in 1937 Harry’s parents smuggled the family across the border into Belgium in 1938. Without papers the stateless family survived the war by going into hiding. At various times Harry, his older sister Rosa, and brother Manfred were separately cared for by a priest and sympathetic gentile families willing to risk their own safety by pretending the children were their own. In hiding Harry was known as Henry Vanderlinden, while his parents hid in an apartment in Brussels with whitewashed windows that made it appear vacant. In 1951 Harry and his parents joined his siblings in Seattle, Washington. When Harry turned 18 he became an American citizen. Up until that time he was stateless having been born Jewish in Germany under the Nazis.
At the University of Washington Harry studied French literature. This led him to understand the role of language in the development of a person’s identity, which soon became a major interest in his life. While pursuing a master’s in linguistics at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia in 1970, Harry became fascinated by the sociolinguistic situation of deaf people. The fact that sign language was the primary language for communication among deaf people reminded Harry of the role Yiddish played in Jewish people’s lives in Europe. He sent his paper, “Some Sociolinguistic Considerations of American Sign Language ,” to William C. Stokoe, director of the Linguistics Research Laboratory (LRL) at Gallaudet. Stokoe, generally credited as the first person to study American Sign Language on linguistic principles, asked Harry to work in his lab. Harry’s research as a member of the LRL led to many publications and presentations concerning the role of ASL in the American deaf community.
In 1979, after Harry’s sister Rosa attended the first international gathering of Holocaust survivors in Israel, Harry realized that yes, he too was a Holocaust survivor even though he had not suffered in concentrations camps. As a result he developed a long-lasting interest in studying the Holocaust and trying to grasp the meaning of his own and others’ experiences during World War II. When Harry retired from Gallaudet in 2008, Harry was elected to the status of Professor Emeritus. After being officially recognized as a Holocaust survivor by the US Holocaust Memorial Museum he contributed many stories that were published on the Museums web site. He also met with visitors to the Holocaust Museum and told his own story eloquently in several open to the public “First Person” interviews. Harry is survived by his devoted wife of 43 years, Arlene Markowicz, and their son Michael. A memorial donation can be made in Harry’s name to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Source: Patti Durr/Betsi. Photo credits: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
* Martyn Allyn Wayne, 67, September 13, 2020, Toronto
Loving husband of Andrea, father of Rachel and Michael, Brooke and Mike and proud Zaidie of Theodore. Son of Barbara Lieberman and Daniel Wayne. Brother of Robin and Raymond Kezwer. Brother-in-law to Linda and Keith Dempsey. Uncle to Jason and Hilda, Trevor and Vanessa Kezwer, Ben, Brandon and Caitlyn Dempsey. Source: Steeles Memorial Chapter
* Anita E. Frank, 75, September 7, 2020, Brooklyn
Born on May 12, 1945, passed away unexpectedly at Mt. Sinai Hospital after a brief illness. She did schooling at PS 47 in Manhattan as well as the Lexington School for the Deaf located in Queens. She started work at Brooklyn College around 1995 and worked in the library as a College Assistant for the next 25 years until her illness in July of 2020. She loved her job, visiting and helping those on the campus and within the library. She was greatly looking forward to returning to work as soon as she was able. She was deaf herself and spent much of her free time working with deaf blind persons and organizations. She traveled and enjoyed sudoku, puzzles, crafting and chatting to everyone she ever met and some she hadn’t. She was adored by all and will be sorely missed. She is predeceased by her father David Firstenberg and survived by her mother Mellita Firstenberg (Kaufer), her son Mark Frank (Kelly Hyatt), granddaughter Michaela Frank (Alexander Wilms), and granddaughter Sheila Frank (Mark Soto). Source: Ever Loved
* Linda Levitan, 69, 31 July 2020, Rochester, NY
Born 1951, passed away on July 31, 2020. She is survived by a community of friends. Source: Legacy.com
[Excerpts from Rahel Sherman post on Facebook]: She majored in painting and illustration at RIT and earned a BA. She also earned a BA in English from NYU. Linda was post-lingually Deaf; her passionate life work was to volunteer with her friends Matthew Moore and David Long at Deaf Life. She was their copywriter, researcher and writer for 36 years. She was very proud to write about the lives of Deaf people who made a difference. Linda never had a true Jewish education as a child because education wasn’t valued for women. Her brother had a bar mitzva but nobody celebrated her bat mitzva. It was not the custom but she longed most of her life for a bat mitzvah ceremony where she would chant in trop from the Torah. Linda at one time even yearned to be a rabbi. She longed for a woman’s tallit… She taught herself Hebrew; she could not learn in a classroom setting because of her hearing loss.
* Martin Jacob Leff, 85, May 28th, 2020, New York City
Born in Brooklyn, NY to Harry and Miriam Leff, Martin was the beloved husband of Violet, adored father of Mara and father-in-law of Daniel, cherished grandfather of Aden, and devoted brother of pre-deceased sister Gilda. A graduate of J.H.S. 47 School for the Deaf and Stuyvesant High School, Martin received a B.M.E. from NYU and a M.M.E. from CCNY. He worked as a mechanical engineer for many years and was an inventor on a number of patents. He later started his own business, MVM Corporation, dedicated to designing and distributing assistive devices for the deaf and blind. A man of great integrity and humor, Martin cared deeply about the welfare of others, especially those with disabilities. His kindness and generosity will be sorely missed. Source: Dignity Memorial
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