Isaac Ben Ezra, MSW, born February 18, 1926, passed away peacefully on October 2nd  at the Hospice of the Fisher Home, surrounded by loving family and messages of admiration and friendship. He died of issues related to heart and kidney failure and Parkinson’s disease, hastened by an inoperable Sept. 4th hip fracture.

   Isaac was the youngest son of the late Victor and Bella (Zara) Ben Ezra, of Istanbul, Turkey and New York City. He lost the love of his life, his wife Hilda Fisher Ben Ezra, when she passed away in 2006.  He was also predeceased by his 4 siblings, Mark, Joe, Leon, and Regina, their spouses, and his dear in-laws Louis and Sara (Goldman) Fisher, of Philadelphia, PA.

   He leaves behind his dear eldest son Aaron Ben Ezra of Cazanovia, NY; daughter Amy Ben-Ezra and her husband Farnsworth Lobenstine of Amherst, MA; and daughter Lucille Ben-Ezra, now of Doylestown, PA.; his much loved grandchildren David Lobenstine and wife Miranda,  K. Lev Ben-Ezra and partner Keleigh, Alexander Falco, and Sara Falco; his great-grandchildren Quentin and Kitsune; his nephew Jerry Benezra and wife Linda, and niece Bella Hausman.  Isaac also leaves behind much-loved extended family from the Lobenstine side, as well as many dear, dear friends, acquaintances, colleagues, and neighbors, with relationships spanning from a few to 75 years.

   Isaac grew up in poverty on the lower East side of Manhattan, the son of Sephardic Jewish immigrants. He lived through the Depression (when 17 million people were out of work) and WWII—the war to end fascism. His life’s work was founded on the belief that justice for all is central to our democracy. He has been part of the labor and civil rights movements and advocated for better health care, the environment, and senior rights.

    Isaac left school at 16 to work to support his family. He was active in the Educational Alliance which was originally a settlement house for immigrant Jews that offered classes on citizenship and recreational and social service programs.

   The Educational Alliance sponsored Isaac for the first Encampment for Citizenship in 1946 at Fieldston School in New York. By 20, he already had a history of organizing on the Lower East Side, including leadership in the Boy Scouts and wartime activities such as canteens for youth and victory gardens. The Encampment expanded Isaac’s view of the world, exposed him to various social justice movements, and particularly influenced his future involvements in the trade union and civil rights movements.

   Isaac was also a gifted sculptor and, with a scholarship, attended one year at the Brooklyn Museum Art School, working at night. He then began working at an art store and became an organizer and shop steward for CIO District 65.  He taught himself drafting and was able to get a job and work his way up in American Bridge and then US Steel. He worked first assembling steel for buildings and bridges in very arduous conditions in order to support his family.

   Isaac married Hilda in 1950 and had 3 children, Aaron, Amy and Lucille. Isaac credits his 55-year marriage to Hilda for the great joys in his life and for the support that made it possible for him to be the activist that he was and follow his dreams. In 1954 Isaac and Hilda bought a house in Levittown, Pennsylvania, which was then a new community. He joined the Defend the Black Family Movement there, which was protecting the first Black family that moved into this White community, which had an active KKK and John Birch Society at the time. In 1957, Isaac went to Selma, Alabama in a delegation of five people from Levittown. They brought a solidarity wreath which the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. carried during the march.

   The 1960’s and ’70’s were a time of great activism for many. With the arrival of the polio epidemic in the US in 1961, Isaac challenged the county health board and the AMA in their opposition to creating public polio clinics. Despite all the obstacles he succeeded in organizing $1-a-shot polio clinics in the public school, operated and run by community members including volunteer medical professionals, which served 75,000 people. He organized support for Medicare and challenged both the John Birch Society and the AMA on this issue. He worked devotedly on the successful campaign to pass a moratorium on foreclosures in the Pennsylvania state legislature during the mid-70s recession. As a result, though US Steel closed down many plants, thousands of steelworkers’ families were able to remain in their homes.

   Isaac organized the 1968 Bucks County McCarthy for President movement, was active in the anti-Vietnam war movement, as well as in the trade union movement, including the United Farm Workers struggle for healthy working conditions, safe food and fair wages.

   While activism was his passion, Isaac had many jobs over the years to support his family, including drafting, working in his father-in-law’s hardware store, selling life insurance, and selling real estate. Isaac then established and became director of the Ombudsman Project for Middle Aged and Older Workers in Philadelphia, a national pilot project. As a result of this work, and despite the lack of an undergraduate degree, Isaac was awarded a full scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Work. Graduating in 1979, he became the recruitment director for Lincoln University, an African-American college in Pennsylvania. He helped working individuals to gain their masters degrees in human services. Eventually he established a private social work practice specializing in divorce mediation and child custody, while continuing with varied community activism, including environmental issues.

   Isaac and Hilda enjoyed traveling, taking their family on yearly camping trips, and later traveling themselves to many countries around the world. Upon retirement, they took off on a three month camping road trip with friends to and from Alaska. They both loved music — opera, classical, jazz, klezmer, and more — and the radio and stereo were constantly in the background. They attended many concerts and made many dear friends while standing on line to get inside. They had a large group of friends and enjoyed conversation, discussions, and much laughter.

   At age 70, after recuperating in part from a serious car accident, Isaac and Hilda moved to Amherst, MA to be closer to their daughter, Amy and her family, who had recently moved here. Isaac became active in his new community, was elected to the Town Meeting on which he served for 14 years, and he began doing a TV show called Conversations on the local public access station, Amherst Media.  Isaac produced shows for 16 years, and some of these shows are still aired periodically. “It was a great opportunity to learn another skill and I found an ability to communicate and organize around free speech.” Isaac also served as the town representative on the Amherst Media Board for nine years and served as board president for 4 years. Despite serious physical disability and pain compounded by subsequent accidents, Isaac continued to pursue his lifetime work for justice and served as an inspiration to so many others in his community. Isaac loved the Amherst chapter of his life, made many great friendships and remained active in social justice issues while thoroughly enjoying the Amherst Farmers Market, Puffers Pond, and other area treasures.

   Over the years, Isaac received multiple awards for his activism and service. In Massachusetts, these included the Jean Haggerty Award for Community Service, the James N. Quinn Social Work Award, the Amherst Human Rights Commission Service Award, and the Massachusetts Nursing Association Advocate for Nursing Award. Upon his retirement from the Amherst Media board in 2014, he was awarded a Certificate of Congressional Recognition based on lifetime achievement and steadfast dedication to justice work. Congressman Jim McGovern gave special recognition to his Amherst Media TV program Conversations for informing and entertaining  the community for many years. In addition, his leadership as president of the board of Amherst Media was named “transformative,” strengthening this important resource for the people of Amherst.

   McGovern went on to say: “For six decades he has fought tirelessly to create a more just society— through efforts to combat inequality, improve public health and serve underserved communities. He has a strong commitment to racial equality; organized a free polio clinic; campaigned for Medicare; and is an advocate for universal health care. His community organizing and devotion to bettering the world around him has had an impact on countless lives. Isaac’s activism serves as an inspiration to others.”

   Bill Newman, Western Massachusetts ACLU president, thanked Isaac for “… showing us all that the purpose of community TV is to build community…That kind of media brings us together not because we necessarily agree but because we can talk to each other and find the good and precious in each other.”

   After Hilda’s death in 2006, Isaac spent 4 years sharing his home on Strong Street with family and friends.  Six years ago, he came to live with Amy and Farns, utilizing an accessible addition built for him the year before. These years together were a special time for Isaac, Amy and Farns, and allowed Isaac to continue his social and political activities despite increasing physical limitations. This could not have happened without the assistance of his dear aides from O’Connell Care at Home, especially Sarah Noonan and Torvald Kohlin, as well as Aaron, Lucille & all of the family members.

   Unexpectedly, at age 90, Isaac and Sarah Noonan rediscovered the Encampment for Citizenship in his own backyard, here at Hampshire College in Amherst. It was a great delight for him to reconnect with the Encampment, share his history as a founding member of the first Encampment of 1949, and participate in some of their activities in the summers of 2016 and 2017.  

   In the last years of his life, Isaac spent the bulk of his time with family and close friends, and contributed in many crucial ways (as he always had) to his family’s well being, both emotional and practical. In his last weeks, Isaac commented that he knew all were doing well, that he was glad he’d been able to help make that possible, and that he could die with the comfort and happiness that this brought him.

   Isaac will be remembered as a fighter, a survivor, a friend, a person of great creativity, integrity and conscience, and a man who loved life and lived it to its fullest, to the very end. He will be sorely missed by many.

   Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, October 4th, at 11:30am, under a large tent at 1164 South East Street, home of Isaac, Amy and Farns. Parking is available next door at Andrew’s Greenhouse.  Service will be followed by burial at the South Amherst Cemetery, just a few doors away. All are then invited to return to the home to share food, memories, and to comfort each other.  As is typical of Jewish custom, the family would appreciate ongoing visitors in the days following the funeral. Jewish custom does not include flowers, but instead requests that donations be made to charitable organizations in Isaac’s name. He particularly valued

the Amherst Survival Center, https://amherstsurvival.org/donate/,

the Rosenberg Fund for Children,      http://www.rfc.org/supportus, and

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), https://aclum.org/take-action/give/

Dear Mr. Lobenstine,

It was a pleasure to speak with you on the phone this afternoon.

On behalf of the Hampshire Hospitality Group, we thank you for choosing the Holiday Inn Express and Suites for your guests’ accommodations and we apologize for the loss of your father in law.

The information regarding your group has been entered successfully into the Holiday Inn Express & Suites’ reservation system.

Your guests may begin calling the property at any time by calling (413) 582-0002 and requesting the Issac BenEzra Funeral Group to receive the rate of $72.00 plus tax per night.

Please let us know if there is anything I can assist you with at any time.

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Kind Regards,

Emilie Barrett Gajda

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Hampshire Hospitality Group

Phone (413) 586-3910

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