Lilly Salamon Salcman

Our mother Lilly Salcman (Salamon), born Lilly Rapaport, passed away peacefully on June 4, at age 101. Her family called her Szimi, short for Simcha, and she was a blessing indeed.

She was a survivor of Auschwitz, where her parents and one of her two brothers were killed. Her older sisters had escaped to the land that became Israel. She never forgot the past but always moved forward.

She was the subject of articles, books, medical essays, and poems and shared her experiences with many school and synagogue classes, as well as to adult groups.

Born on September 28, 1922 in Khust, Czechoslovakia (now Ukraine), she lived an extraordinary life that took her from Auschwitz to the Appalachian foothills. With her first husband, Alexander Salamon, she had two daughters—Dr. Suzanne Salamon, a physician, and Julie Salamon, a writer. She was widowed at 48 and then married Arthur Salcman, her husband for 35 years until he died in 2010.

She traveled to 18 countries, five continents, 40 states and lived in 10 places, including Czechoslovakia; Poland; New York; St. Petersburg, Fl.; Seaman, Ohio; Old Saybrook, Ct. and Brookline, Ma.

In Ohio, she ran her husband Dr. Alexander Salamon’s medical office and managed their 1,000 acre dairy farm with 100 cows. Eventually, she became (unofficially) Lilly Inc. and expanded into real estate and the stock market. She cut coupons with one hand and business deals with the other. She once said she was like a cat with nine lives—and those lives were large.

Her beloved survivors, in addition to Suzanne and Julie, are her sons-in-law, Alan Einhorn and Bill Abrams; stepchildren Michael and Ilene Salcman; grandchildren Alex and Richie Smith, David Einhorn, Roxie Salamon-Abrams and Graeme Daubert, Eli Salamon-Abrams, Josh and Jennifer Salcman, and Dara Salcman; and great-grandchildren Ruby and Jerri Smith; Olivia, Andrew and Jack Salcman.

Lilly was laid to rest in private Graveside Service in Boston, where she has lived for the last four years with Suzanne and Alan. She is buried next to Alexander Salamon, her first husband, and her brother Joseph Rapaport, all survivors of the Holocaust.

Celebrations of Lilly’s Life will be held in Boston and New York.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in memory of Lilly Salcman to the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Division of Gerontology, Office of Philanthropy, 529 Main Street, 4th Floor, Charlestown, MA 02129, www.bidmc.org/giving