The following obituary for Hedy Epstein was sent to us by Dianne
Lee. Epstein was a friend and mentor to us at Mondoweiss, and she will
be sorely missed. 

Holocaust survivor Hedy Epstein, 91, died at her home in St. Louis,
Missouri, USA, on May 26, 2016. An internationally renowned, respected
and admired advocate for human and civil rights, Hedy was encircled by
friends who lovingly cared for her at home.

Born August 15, 1924, in the Baden-Württemberg region of Germany, her
lifelong commitment to human rights was formed by the horrific
experiences she and her family endured under the repressive Nazi regime.

Unable to secure travel documents for themselves, Hedy’s parents,
Hugo and Ella (Eichel) Wachenheimer, arranged for 14-year-old Hedy to
leave Germany on a Kindertransport. 
Hedy credited her parents with
giving her life a second time when they sent her to England to live with
kind-hearted strangers. Hedy’s parents, grandparents, and most of her
aunts, uncles and cousins did not survive the Holocaust. Hedy remained
in England until 1945 when she returned to Germany to work for the
United States Civil Service. She joined the Nuremberg Doctors Trial
prosecution in 1946 as a research analyst.


Hedy immigrated to the United States in 1948. She and her husband
moved to St. Louis in the early 1960s, and shortly thereafter Hedy began
working as a volunteer with the Freedom of Residence, Greater St. Louis
Committee, a nonprofit organization dedicated to housing integration
and advocacy for fair housing laws. Hedy worked for many years as a
volunteer and board member, and ultimately served as the organization’s
executive director during the mid-1970s.


During the 1980s, Hedy worked as a paralegal for Chackes and Hoare, a
law firm that represented individuals in employment discrimination
cases. As an advocate for equality and human rights, Hedy spoke out
against the war in Vietnam, the bombing of Cambodia, and overly
restrictive U.S. immigration policies. She spoke and acted in support of
the Haitian boat people and women’s reproductive rights, and, following
the 1982 massacre at Sabra and Shatila, Hedy began her courageous and
visionary work for peace and justice in Israel and Palestine.


During her later years, Hedy continued to advocate for a more
peaceful world, and in 2002 was a founding member of the St. Louis
Instead of War Coalition. Much of her later activism centered on efforts
to end the Israeli occupation of Palestine. She founded the St. Louis
chapter of Women in Black and co-founded the St. Louis Palestine
Solidarity Committee and the St. Louis chapter of Jewish Voice for
Peace. She traveled to the West Bank several times, first as a volunteer
with the nonviolent International Solidarity Movement and repeatedly as
a witness to advocate for Palestinian human rights. She attempted
several times to go to Gaza as a passenger with the Freedom Flotilla,
including as a passenger on the Audacity of Hope, and once with the Gaza
Freedom March. Hedy addressed numerous groups and organizations
throughout Europe and returned to Germany and her native village of
Kippenheim many times.


Three days after her 90th birthday, Hedy was arrested for “failure to
disperse.” She was attempting to enter Missouri Governor Jay Nixon’s
St. Louis office to ask for deescalation of police and National Guard
tactics which had turned violent in response to protests following the
killing of unarmed teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.

Hedy was a member of the St. Louis Holocaust Museum and Learning
Center’s speakers’ bureau and gave countless talks at schools and
community events. She shared her Holocaust experiences with thousands of
Missouri youth as a featured speaker at the Missouri Scholars Academy
for more than twenty years. She ended every talk with three requests:
remember the past, don’t hate, and don’t be a bystander. Through the
years, Hedy received numerous awards and honors for her compassionate
service and relentless pursuit of justice.


Hedy is survived by son Howard (Terry) Epstein, and granddaughters
Courtney and Kelly. She was beloved and will be truly missed by
countless friends in St. Louis and around the world.

Hedy often shared her philosophy of service with these words: “If we
don’t try to make a difference, if we don’t speak up, if we don’t try to
right the wrong that we see, we become complicit. I don’t want to be
guilty of not trying my best to make a difference.”


Hedy always did her best, and the difference she made is evident in
the commitment and passion of those called to continue her work. Her
friends and admirers honor and salute her deep and lifelong dedication
to tikkun olam, the just re-ordering of the world and promise to
remember, to stay human, and to never be bystanders.


A memorial service will be held in Forest Park at a date and time to
be determined. 

Donations in Hedy’s name may be made to Forest Park
Forever to establish a permanent tribute, 5595 Grand Drive in Forest
Park, St. Louis, MO 63112; American Friends Service Committee, 1501
Cherry St., Philadelphia, PA 19102; American Civil Liberties Union, 125
Broad St. 18th Floor, New York, NY 10004; and/or American Civil
Liberties Union of Missouri Foundation, 454 Whittier St., St. Louis, MO
63108.

SOURCE: Mondoweiss