Shirley Kleinman

Shirley Kleinman, age 93, passed away peacefully after a short illness at her home in Great Neck, surrounded by her loved ones, on Sat., May 4th. Beloved daughter of Gabriel and Frieda Rubman, she was born in Chester, Pa. in 1919, raised in the Bronx, N.Y. Shirley married her husband Seymour, a noted attorney and legal scholar, also of the Bronx, in 1941. They were married until his death in 1988. Shirley earned a B.A. in Chemistry from Hunter College. Contemplating a career in medicine, she dedicated herself to raising a family, then returned to Hofstra University where she earned her Masters in Education in 1960 and then taught in the Great Neck Public Schools for many years. She is survive by her sons David and Louis and daughter Devorah. Also surviving are two grandsons, Douglas Berman and Adam Kleinman and great-grandchildren Charlotte and Rebecca Berman. Her eldest daughter, Dr. Dale Berman, preceded her in death in 2003. Mrs. Kleinman’s home was always open to the children of friends and neighbors throughout the generations. Both a great patron of the arts and avid art collector, Shirley loved travelling the world with her husband with a particular passion for China, Japan, the American Southwest, Machu Picchu and the Galapagos Islands. She vigorously supported her husband’s philanthropic activities, and established her own fame as an ardent supporter of Israel and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem long after his death. Her dynamic personality, grace and wit always made a lasting impression. She will be greatly missed. Memorial services will be held on Thursday, May 9th, at Riverside-Nassau North Chapel in Great Neck, N.Y. Shiva will be at her son’s house in Bayside, N.Y. following the funeral.