Zulema Lufschanowski

Zulema “Zully” Shulamit Lufschanowski, 84, passed away peacefully on April 3, 2025, in her home in Houston, Texas, surrounded by her loved ones and caretakers. Zully was born July 23, 1940, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to parents Rebecca Brandt and Leiba Blumenzon, Jewish immigrants from Lodz, Poland.

Zully attended the University of Buenos Aires Law School in 1960 before marrying her spouse of 62 years, Roberto Lufschanowski, in April of 1963. The two immigrated to Chicago, Illinois in June of 1963, where Zully worked as a special education teacher. Zully had her first child, Fabianna, in 1965, followed by her second child, Adrian, in 1967, and the family moved to Houston to be closer to Zully’s sisters Anita and Didi the same year. In Houston, Zully studied Spanish Literature at Rice University, volunteered at the Houston Women’s Center’s Rape Crisis Center, and co-founded and directed Casa Argentina de Houston, a non-profit organization celebrating Argentinean and Latin American culture and community. Zully loved the arts and was an extremely talented salsa and tango dancer, seamstress, jeweler, knitter, and chef; frequently attended the Houston Symphony, Opera, and Ballet; and even organized yearly trips for her children’s school classes to attend the symphony. She also entertained friends and family with lively parties filled with home-cooked Argentinean and Jewish foods, lively conversation, and night-long singing and dancing. She cultivated a group of Argentinian and Latin American ex-pats, Jewish immigrants, and patients of Roberto’s cardiology practice in Houston who became a family to her. Zully was a member of Congregation Beth Yeshurun, the Yiddish Vinkl language and culture club, the Houston Tennis Association, and was involved in fundraising for the Latin American art collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

Preceding Zully in death are her parents, Rebecca and Leiba Blumenzon and her sisters and best friends, Anita Werch and Didi Blumenzon. She is survived by her spouse, Roberto Lufschanowski; daughter and son, Fabianna and Adrian (and spouse, Cynthia) Lufschanowski; her grandchildren, Rachel, Bella, Dahlia, Eli, and Rina; her brother-in-law, Angel Werch; and her nieces, Sheila (and spouse, Stuart) Jacobson and Michelle (and spouse, Mark) Mellon-Werch, and all their children. She will be forever cherished by a community of life-long friends, family, her Katchkes, fellow arts and culture enthusiasts, and all lucky enough to have met her, across Houston and the world.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Zully’s memory can be made to the Museum of Fine Arts of Houston (mfah.org) or the Yiddish Book Center (yiddishbookcenter.org).