Pauline Cohen Witt

Pauline Cohen Witt, 93, of Birmingham, died Sunday, August 15, 2021. Pauline’s parents, Allegra and Eli Cohen, immigrated to the United States from areas that had been part of the Ottoman Empire, in the years surrounding World War I, settling in Montgomery. Pauline attended Huntingdon College and the University of Alabama before marrying Bennie Witt, to whom she was happily married for nearly 58 years until his death in 2007.

Pauline lived most of her life in Montgomery, where she and Bennie operated a retail toy business, Toyland. She was an active member of Congregations Agudath Israel and Etz Ahayem, as well as serving leadership roles in the Jewish women’s organization Hadassah. As a volunteer, she helped young children learn to read, and she delivered Meals on Wheels into her 80s. Pauline was a loving caregiver for her mother and husband in their final years.

Pauline was a friendly, kind and considerate person, with a gift for reaching out to those who seemed in need of a kind word or warm welcome. This had a special impact in the final 10 years of her life, when she moved into a Birmingham retirement facility.

In addition to her parents and husband, Pauline was predeceased by her brother Isaac Cohen and sisters Lina Levine and Jeanette Rousso. She is survived by brother Raymond Cohen (Kathy) of Montgomery, son Harry Witt (Missy), Prospect, TN, daughters Rebecca Witt Sillam (Dror), Jerusalem, Israel, and Elaine Witt (Michael Sznajderman), Birmingham; grandchildren Amitai Sillam (Ya 'ara), Esther Allouch (Matias), Navit Sitbon (Oren), Sidney Johnson (James), Isaac Witt (Sara Grady) and Tsvi-el Sillam, and 12 great grandchildren. The funeral will be at 2 p.m. CDT on Monday, Aug. 16 and is family only because of the pandemic.

The funeral will be live-streamed at

https://www.facebook.com/LeakMemoryChapel/ . In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama, Magen David Adom or your favorite charity.