Sarah Silberstein Swartz

With great sorrow we note the passing of Sarah Silberstein Swartz, age 77, who died March 6, 2025, at home in Jamaica Plain, MA, surrounded by family. Sarah was the beloved wife of Ellie Kellman, devoted mother of Rebecca Swartz and Hannah Swartz, adoring mother-in-law of Eric Moskowitz, loving “Sasa” (grandmother) to Reuben, Arlo, and Isaac, and a fiercely loyal friend to many.

Sarah was preceded in death by her cherished parents Menachem and Regina (Zlotnik) Silberstein, and her revered aunt Ruth (Zlotnik) Altman, who were among the few survivors of the thriving Jewish community of Wyszogród, Poland. Sarah had two older half-siblings, Rivka and Moyshe, who perished as children in the Holocaust.

Sarah was born in Occupied Berlin, Germany where her parents, as sh’erit hapleta (Holocaust survivors), found safety after the war. They stayed until 1951, when they were granted permission to enter the United States with the help of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS). With no English skills, yet some means, her family settled on a farm in rural Southington, Connecticut, acquiring 40 acres and 5,000 chickens. That initially lonely period made Sarah both eternally welcoming to newcomers and forever sick of eggs. The bright spot was meeting Helena Lipstadt, a fellow child of survivors-turned-chicken-farmers who became as much a lifelong sister as a friend.

In 1958, Sarah and her parents returned to Germany, where, in 1960, she proudly celebrated her bat mitzvah — the first in post-war Berlin — an uplifting moment of naches among a community of survivors who had endured so much. Her family stayed until 1961. When the Berlin Wall went up, they moved back to the United States for good, this time settling in Brooklyn, New York.

As a journalism student at New York University (NYU), Sarah met Paul Swartz, a Toronto entrepreneur, while vacationing in the Catskills with her parents. She moved to Canada just before her 20th birthday, and married Paul in 1968. That move produced their two treasured daughters and sparked Sarah’s enduring affection for Toronto.

In Toronto, Sarah built a distinguished career as an award-winning book editor, writer, and translator, specializing in Jewish and feminist themes, Holocaust history, and literature for young readers. She created a vibrant life for herself and her two daughters, surrounded by her chosen family and close friends.

As an only child who lost her parents in her early twenties, Sarah found solace and joy in Yiddishkeit and Klezmer music, which became a bridge between her past and present. In 1991, she enrolled in a Yiddish summer program at the YIVO Institute in New York, where she met Ellie Kellman, a dedicated and talented Yiddish teacher and scholar. What began as a teacher-student relationship blossomed into a deep personal connection, and this past November 2024, Sarah and Ellie celebrated the 30th anniversary of their life together.

In 2000, Sarah relocated to Boston to live with Ellie, now a professor at Brandeis University, and Sarah was fortunate that her two daughters also moved to Massachusetts to begin their professional careers and undergraduate education. In 2004, Sarah and Ellie proudly wed at Boston City Hall on the first day that same-sex marriage became legal in Massachusetts.

Sarah found immense joy in having her grown daughters and their families nearby, cherishing every moment as a hands-on grandmother to her beloved grandsons. While living in Boston, she continued to flourish in her editorial, writing, and translation career. Sarah’s love for homes and design also led her to become a local real estate agent, where her talent for home renovations and keen eye for aesthetics defined her work.

If it took time for Boston to feel like home to her, Cape Cod was where Sarah always felt at ease. The ocean was her sanctuary. Her time as a homeowner in Eastham and her frequent visits to the Outer Cape brought her immense joy. She cherished quiet walks along the beach, swimming in the ocean, searching the shore for shells and crabs with her grandsons, and watching breathtaking sunsets with those she loved.

Her home there, like all her homes, was a true reflection of her impeccable style — elegantly adorned with exquisite furniture and treasured keepsakes, filled with the warmth of delicious meals, vibrant celebrations, and joyful gatherings. It was a place where she generously welcomed family and friends from near and far.

Sarah also traveled frequently to Berlin and Poland and spent many years sifting through past and present events in what she described as a quest for “personal identity, lost family history, and the integrated gifts of understanding, tolerance, and forgiveness.” She was proud to be among a group of student artists who helped paint the reconstructed ceiling of a 17th-century wooden synagogue destroyed in World War II, now the centerpiece of the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, in Warsaw.

In 2022, Sarah published Heroines, Rescuers, Rabbis, Spies: Unsung Women of the Holocaust, an account for young adults about nine women from diverse backgrounds who risked their own lives to save others during the Holocaust, including a chapter about her own mother and aunt.

Over many years, Sarah poured her heart into writing her memoir, titled “Contradictions of a Migrant Daughter: Bridging Borders and Barriers.” Though cancer ultimately prevented her from completing it, she remained steadfast in her dedication, continuing to write and revise until her very last days. Her determination to share her unique perspective on the world and her personal stories never wavered.

Sarah lived a life rich with love, style, and purpose, leaving an indelible mark on all who knew her. Her legacy will endure, not only through the love and admiration of those whose lives she touched but also through the powerful words she crafted, which will continue to inspire and celebrate her memory.

A funeral service for Sarah will be held on Monday, March 10, at 11am at Levine Chapels, 470 Harvard St., Brookline, MA. Interment will follow at Beit Olam Cemetery, 60 Old Sudbury Rd., Wayland, MA.

The family will welcome shiva visitors on Tuesday, March 11, from 5pm to 8pm at the home of Hannah Swartz and Eric Moskowitz, and Wednesday, March 12, from 5pm to 8pm at the home of Ellie Kellman.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Sarah’s memory to the Forum for Dialogue, the Jewish Historical Institute (Warsaw), Emily’s List, or the MSPCA.