Leslie Bokor

Leslie Bokor passed away peacefully on April 20, 2020 after a long period of illness. His death was precipitated by Covid 19. Leslie was born Sept 27, 1929 to Henrik and Ilona Bokor in Szeghalom, which is in eastern Hungary. A survivor of the Holocaust, Leslie emigrated to America after the war, a dream he’d had since childhood. He was sponsored by a Jewish family with roots in Eastern Hungary, and arrived in New York in 1946.

Leslie completed high school, graduated from Bernard Baruch City College, eventually got an MBA and became a CPA. He also served in the United States Army during the Korean War.

Leslie married Selma Moskowitz on April 8, 1951 and began married life in Woodside, Queens with Selma’s widowed mother Rose Moskowitz. They started a family, having three children together, Jeffrey, Susan and Jonathan. They moved to Jackson Heights, Queens and in 1973 to Great Neck, NY. Leslie became involved in local politics in Great Neck and served as a volunteer auxiliary policeman as well as a trustee on the planning board for the village of Great Neck for many years. They were long standing members of Temple Emanuel of Great Neck.

Leslie was a devoted husband and father, selflessly providing the comforts of middle class America to his children. He and Selma educated their children through college, notwithstanding sometimes difficult financial times. He was committed to making sure his children had all the opportunities which were not afforded to him. He wanted the best for his family, and was unselfish in his desire to make sure they had a good start in life.

Leslie is survived by his three children and their families, Jeffrey, his partner Alice Muller-Egan, Susan, her husband Stephen Nadas, Jonathan and his wife Jessica Levie. Leslie was a devoted grandfather to Joshua, Rachel, Nathan and Sammy and was thrilled to become a great grandfather to Shira. His wife, Selma was a dedicated public school teacher who predeceased him.

Leslie will be buried next to Selma at New Montifiore Cemetery in West Babylon, NY on April 24th. The family asks that acknowledgements and/or gifts be made in his memory to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC or HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society), the organization that helped Leslie come to the United States.