Cynthia Harkavy Plishtin

Cynthia Harkavy Plishtin, 79, passed away in comfort on Tuesday, February 3rd at her home in East Hanover, New Jersey following an extended battle with cancer. She was a beautiful and accomplished woman, and a thoroughly devoted wife, mother, sister, grandmother, and friend.

Cynthia was born March 18, 1935 in Newark, NJ to parents Ida and Bernard Harkavy. She was happily married for 60 years to her high school sweetheart, Murray (Murph) Plishtin, and adored her children, Bernie and Amy, her grandchildren Hannah and Sam, her brother, Jack Harkavy, her daughter-in-law, Maria, and her sister-in-law Barbara. Cynthia graduated from Columbia High School in South Orange and began at Connecticut College in 1954, transferring after two years to Temple University so that she could more easily see Murph, who was in dental school at the University of Pennsylvania at the time. She graduated from Temple in 1958.

It was important to Cynthia to make a difference. As a young woman, she gave herself wholeheartedly to serving the Jewish community and over time became an acknowledged leader with a reputation for hard work, persistence, and getting things done.

Cynthia served as chair of the Women’s Division of United Jewish Appeal (UJA), President of the Women’s Division of UJA, served on the National Women’s Division Board of UJA, and was a lifetime member of the Women’s Department of the United Jewish Federation Board. Cynthia initiated and chaired the National Consultation Program in which she advised and acted as a resource person to over 115 fundraising campaigns of one million dollars or more. Also, she served as secretary of the Federation from 1998 to 2000.

In 1974 Cynthia founded, with her friend Horace Bier, JESPY House, a home for developmentally disabled young people. She served on, and was a board member and 2007 honoree of, the Jewish Service for the Developmentally Disabled. She chaired the Metro/West Demographic Study in 1986, chaired the Pathways Committee, and in 1998 was the first chair of the Pluralism Committee for United Jewish Communities. Cynthia was also a lifetime member of the National Council of Jewish Women and a member of the Miriam Sisterhood of Oheb Shalom. She won numerous honors for her service as well, including the Julius & Bessie Cohn Young Leadership Award and the Jewish Historical Society’s Lasting Impressions Award twice.

For many years, Cynthia worked as an arbitrator for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), and prior to FINRA, as arbitrator for the NASDAQ and NY Stock Exchanges. She was also a mediator for the NJ Superior Courts.

Cynthia loved her family fiercely, never stopped moving, and never stopped thinking about the next problem to be solved. She had more energy in her little finger than the rest of us have in our whole bodies, and she used that energy for good. It is hard to imagine the world without her; she was dearly loved and will missed by all who knew her.

Funeral services will be held at 1:00pm on Thursday, February 5th at Oheb Shalom Synagogue, 170 Scotland Rd, South Orange, NJ. Interment to follow at Oheb Shalom Cemetery, 1321 N. Broad St, Hillside, NJ. Shiva will be observed on Thursday Feb. 5th, 6pm – 9pm; Friday Feb. 6th, 1pm – 5pm; and Sunday Feb. 8th, 12pm – 4pm at the family residence.

Donations in Cynthia’s honor should be sent to JESPY House at www.jespyhouse.org

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