Jenny Shammas

Jenny Shammas, age 94, passed away peacefully on November 13, 2025 with her family by her side.Born in Cairo, Egypt to a prominent Jewish family, Jenny Shammas was the third child of Dr. Alfred and Victorine Massouda.

Jenny attended Lycée Francais where she earned her high school degree. She married a well-known jeweler, Benjamin Shammas of blessed memory in 1951. They lived in Heliopolis, a suburb of Cairo, with their three children, Joalie Davie, Eliane Markoff and Jacques Sciammas. At that time, there were approximately 90,000 Jews living in Egypt. Then came major world events critically important to Jews everywhere, especially the Jewish community in Egypt; the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, the Suez Canal Crisis in 1956 and the Six Day War in 1967. With each event, large numbers of Jews migrated out of Egypt.

While Jenny saw tensions growing and wanted to leave her birthplace, Ben hoped the situation would improve. Unfortunately, it did not and immediately following the Six Day War Ben was arrested for the crime of being Jewish. He was fortunate to hold an Italian passport and was permitted to flee to Naples, Italy where he arranged for Jenny and their children to join him. The family spent a brief period in Genoa, Italy, followed by Paris, France while they planned to immigrate to America. With the support of HIAS, Jenny and her family chose Boston in 1968, to be close to her two older brothers and parents already here.

To help support her family, Jenny studied accounting, worked at Lahey Labs before building a career at Peacard Company, an industrial manufacturer in Roxbury. Jenny rose quickly through the ranks starting as the company’s bookkeeper and becoming the office manager and chief of staff. Jenny worked at Peacard for 35 years and formed deep friendships with the owners and staff, staying in touch long after retirement.

Jenny was the quintessential self-made woman. In addition to her work with Peacard, Jenny was a real estate investor in Brighton and Allston. She bought several apartments and inspired her brothers and children to do the same. Jenny took pride in taking care of these units and her tenants.

After retirement, Jenny moved to Florida to be close to her brothers Jeff and Robert Massouda. She enjoyed daily swims in the ocean and pool, reading books and playing cards with many cousins and friends, she knew from Egypt who were enjoying retirement in the same area of Florida. In addition to her brothers, Jenny spent most of her time with her sister-in-law Janine. The two lived 1 floor apart in the same building and shared most every meal together.

Jenny is survived by her children, Joalie Davie, Jacques Sciammas and partner Murielle Chiarini, Eliane Markoff and her husband Gary; grandchildren, Audrey Dunn and her husband Greg Dunn, and Michelle; and her great grandchildren, Reuben, Jack and Molly Dunn. Jenny is pre-deceased by her brothers, Robert Massouda, Jeff Massouda, his wife Janine Massouda, and her granddaughter Rachel Molly Markoff.

Funeral services will be held at the Beth El Chapel, 776 Baker Street, West Roxbury, on Monday, November 17, at 11:00 am. Shiva will be held at Temple Beth Elohim, 10 Bethel Rd, Wellesley, from 2 PM to 5 PM.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Jenny’s memory to Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) that helps immigrants globally at https://giving.hias.org/ click donate now.