Those of us who were fortunate enough to know Lila Cohen were very saddened to hear of her passing. She has been a dear friend as well as an active volunteer in ESRA for over twenty years, especially as an involved, dedicated and long serving member of the Welfare Committee.
I was privileged to meet with Lila once a month for ten years when she would come to my house to help with all those administrative tasks so vital to the Welfare Committee. Every visit was truly a pleasure and we looked forward to spending time together. She would tell me all about her wonderful family of which she was so proud (two children, eight grandchildren and six great grandchildren) and I would tell her about mine. In the latter years she would often accompany us to meet the students who were being interviewed for the David Klein Scholarship Fund – this she said was truly a mitzvah in which she was especially happy to participate.
In 1997 she received an ESRA Outstanding Volunteer award.
Lila will be remembered for her humor, always telling funny jokes – she was a master at it. She had a mine of information and trivia at the tip of her tongue. She taught English for many years at Tel Aviv University (the English courses that students needed to pass in order to go into the next year of studies). She also taught English teachers at Beit Berl College in Kfar Saba.
She was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1928. She made aliyah with her late husband Sam in 1949. They lived on a kibbutz but went back to the States after one year. In 1969 they returned and settled in Tel Aviv and then finally moved to Herzliya in 1971. Sam was also a dedicated ESRA volunteer.
Lila will be sorely missed by all of us who were fortunate enough to have known her.
May she rest in peace.