Esther Zembow

Esther Heber Zembow, aged 94, died peacefully on March 15th in Los Angeles, CA after suffering from dementia for several years.

Her cheerful smile and demeanor hid her tremendous inner strength – that which allowed her to survive the Holocaust. Born in Kalisz, Poland, Esther was barely 12 when the Nazis invaded Poland. She spent the War years in ghettos and concentration camps, and at 18, was the sole survivor of her large family.

After liberation, Esther was brought to America through the generous efforts of her aunt and uncle, Sarah & Jack Heber, who also brought several other surviving relatives to the United States. Esther married Bernard Zembow and started a family. She eventually settled in Englewood Cliffs in a home she loved and continued to raise her children there. She remained very close to her small extended family who were always welcome.

Esther happily returned to work in department stores when her children were older and enjoyed volunteer work as membership chair of a local ORT chapter.

In her later years, she divided her time between Fort Lee, NJ and Delray Beach, FL. As her needs increased because of her failing health, she moved to Los Angeles, where she lived out her life, cheerful and smiling until the end.

Esther was predeceased by her ex-husband and is survived by her beloved children – Michele Zembow of Chapel Hill, NC; Gary Zembow and his partner, Marcy Lebovitz of Santa Monica, CA and especially her granddaughter, Kaydi Zembow, currently a college senior and horse “mom” in Greensboro, NC.

A fuller tribute to Esther Zembow’s life can be found at www.estherheberzembow.com

Donations can be made in her memory to ORT, the US Holocaust Memorial Museum or a charity of your choice.

Graveside service at Cedar Park Cemetery, Paramus, NJ at 11AM, Sunday March 27, 2022.