Edith (Stein) Frosh

Edith Stein Frosh, 102, of Bloomfield, died peacefully Monday, October 23, 2006, at the Hebrew Home & Hospital in West Hartford. She was born in Vienna, Austria , the daughter of Pinchas and Anna Stein, and married Emil Frosh in 1929. Her lifetime spanned a period of momentous social, political, economic and technological events in world history, and she was both an active participant and an enlightened observer. Edith received her education in Vienna and worked as the executive assistant to her father in his shoe manufacturing business, a pioneering role for a woman in her time. She made a desperate escape from Vienna in June 1939 for England with her daughter, sister and nephew, leaving behind her father and other family members who eventually perished in the Holocaust. She also left behind her husband Emil, who fortunately was able to leave Vienna on the day when Germany invaded Poland (September 1st, 1939) to be interned in a special camp by the British in England. In 1940, the penniless but reunited family came to the United States, where they began to shape a new life. In Hartford, Edith began by working first as a laundress and custom knitter to help support the family. During the period immediately following World War II, she then was employed by the Jewish Family Service as a professional immigration worker, working with survivors of the Holocaust to help them reestablish their lives in the Greater Hartford area. She maintained a warm contact with many of the survivors she had helped, and took great pride in their successes. Subsequently, she joined her husband in his newly established company, the Emil Frosh Insurance Agency, where she continued as Office Manager after her husband Emil died in 1967. When she retired in 1974, she brought her talents and energy to becoming a community leader. Edith’s wide-ranging community activities were recognized by Governor Ella Grasso in 1976 as part of the nation’s 200th anniversary. In recognition of her remarkable spirit and dedicated work in the community, she was selected as one of Connecticut’s “20th Century Pilgrims”, newcomers to Connecticut who involved themselves in service to the community. Recognizing the burgeoning population shift of the 1970s, Edith worked tirelessly to improve respect and services for senior citizens in the Greater Hartford area through the organization RSVP and in the Jewish Community, where she instigated new programs and services that have now become the pattern for many other community and religious-based senior services. She became an active member of the Board of the Greater Hartford Jewish Community Center and many other Boards and Committees. She maintained her interest in and service to others until the end of her life. Edith is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Ruth and Myron Weiner, and her sister Ilse Freiberger of Bloomfield. Her beloved grandchildren and great-grandchildren include: Dr. Jonathan Weiner and Jennifer Beatty, and their sons Nate and Noah of Monkton, MD; Ethan Weiner of Monclair, VA; and Adina and Geoff Kennedy, and their daughters: Jillian, Alexandra and Samantha, of West Hartford, CT. She also leaves a nephew, Fred Freiberger and his wife Barbara, of Lake Wylie, SC and a niece Ann Shapiro and her husband Mark of Bloomfield, along with their wonderful children and grandchildren. Funeral services will be conducted by Rabbi Lily Kaufman of Congregation Tikvoh Chadoshoh, on Wednesday, October 25, 2006, at 12:30 p.m. in the chapel of the Weinstein Mortuary, 640 Farmington Avenue, Hartford, CT. Internment will follow in the Tikvoh Chadoshoh cemetery in Hartford. A memorial period will be observed at the home of Ruth and Myron Weiner in Bloomfield, on Wednesday and Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m. The family gratefully acknowledges the kind and compassionate care offered by all the staff of the Hebrew Home and Hospital, and would particularly like to recognize Dr. Emre Noteroglu, an outstanding physician and dedicated human being, whose sensitive work sets the standard for excellence in end of life care. Education for ethical living was always a paramount cause for Edith. Memorial contributions can be made to the Ruth Frosh Weiner Scholarship Fund at Solomon Schechter School, 26 Buena Vista Road, West Hartford, CT, to the Holocaust Education Project, Bloomfield High School 5 Huckleberry Lane, Bloomfield, Attention Dr. Joseph Olzecki, or to a suitable charity selected by the donor.