Ruth Strauss Berger

Ruth Strauss Berger, a nearly lifelong resident of the Cleveland area, died peacefully surrounded by her daughters on Friday, June 27 in her apartment in Beachwood, OH. Her final days were filled by loving connections with her daughters, extended family, and lifelong friends.

A beloved daughter, sister, mother, mother-in-law, Mom-Mom, aunt, friend, and teacher, Ruth was born in Offenbach, Germany on August 1, 1936. She came to Cleveland in 1937 with her parents Manfred and Bertha Strauss and older brother Herbert Strauss, escaping from the Nazi regime. In the decades that followed, Ruth made a life that stood in beautiful contrast to the terror she and her family fled. She lived with consistent optimism, valuing family above all, dedicating herself professionally to the promise of young people, and nurturing friendships that lasted more than 75 years and were going strong when she died. She kept her deep friends and never stopped making new ones. Ruth believed in the goodness of people and that’s the spirit she took through life.

Ruth went all through Cleveland Heights schools, graduating from Cleveland Heights High School in 1954. She received a B.A. in English from Smith College in 1958 and then a Master’s in Education at Western Reserve University which she earned while teaching elementary school at Belvoir Elementary School in Cleveland Heights.

In 1958 she married Arnold H. (Arnie) Berger. They lived in Cleveland and Pittsburgh before settling in Shaker Heights in 1965. The marriage ended in 1983. The couple had three children: Susan Berger (Robert N. Brown); Margaret Berger Bradley (David Bradley); and Joanie Berger (Rabbi Robert Nosanchuk). Ruth’s children, and the families they made, were the center of her life. Since 2000, she took supreme delight in being Mom-Mom to her grandchildren Jacob and Noah Bradley and Zachary and Hope Nosanchuk. She was also the cherished Aunt Ruthie to Julie Safran and the late Lauri Strauss, daughters of her brother Herb (who pre-deceased her) and his wife Evelyn. And family dogs Tevi, Ori, and Cami enjoyed countless playful times with Ruth.

Ruth spent her children’s early years at home with them and returned to teaching in 1977 as a French teacher, first in Shaker Heights elementary schools and then at Shaker Heights High School, where she taught from 1983 until she retired in 2001. “Madame Berger” was known for her dedication to her classes, and her sponsorship of foreign exchange students and travel opportunities for Shaker students.

Throughout her life, Ruth embraced the arts in a variety of forms. An avid reader, she was a concurrent member of three book clubs. In the early 1970’s she and other friends formed the Upstarts, a folk group that created music programs for Head Start classes. She sang regularly in the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center’s annual Sing Out! Benefit, and was a board member at Dobama Theatre in Cleveland Heights for several years.

It's perhaps an ordinary thing that someone who lived much of her life in one city would know many people. But the way Ruth knew people, and how they knew her, was extraordinary. It was the rare outing with Ruth that didn’t feature an encounter with a friend, a fellow synagogue member or a former student and their family. These encounters burst with life. With the humble joy she took in relationships, Ruth made those she met up with feel special. A family member once joked that Ruth was “the utility wedding guest—you can put her anywhere and she’ll fit in and enliven the conversation.” She became a treasured resident for the staff at The Villas.

Judaism was fundamental to Ruth. Her father was the first spiritual leader of the congregation created by the German Jewish community in Cleveland, Gates of Hope (now Congregation Shaarey Tikvah in Beachwood). Ruth was a long-term member of The Temple-Tifereth Israel in Beachwood, and an original member of Congregation Mishkan Or. She took Torah and poetry classes at the Temple and regularly attended services, moved particularly by the music. Ruth hosted beautiful Seders that celebrated her family and its legacy and welcomed friends and newcomers with her abundant hospitality. She embodied Jewish values of learning, ritual, and most importantly tikkun olam—repairing the world. In this she was a powerful model for her family, who relished the prayer L’dor v’dor—from generation to generation—and how it symbolized what she gave each of them.

Perhaps the Jewish concept that most describes Ruth’s life is Hineini—”Here I am.” Ruth Strauss Berger has always been here. For her family. For friends old and new. In times of loss and times of celebration. On her hands and knees at the beach with her kids and grandkids and beside a teenager who just needed the patience of Madame Berger to grasp the nuances of l’imparfait.

As we honor her long life, we’re confident Ruth will always be here. When we share a book we love, Ruth will be there. When we run into an old friend on the street, Ruth will be there too. When we set a table at a holiday, we’ll have a seat for Ruth in mind. When we eat a blintz or scoop some coffee chocolate chunk ice cream, we’ll feel the flavor Ruth brings to life. And finally, whenever we live with love and generosity, and with a deep belief in joy, Ruth will be here. May her memory forever bring that blessing.

Services will be held Monday, June 30 at 2:00 pm at Congregation Mishkan Or, 26000 Shaker Blvd., Beachwood, Ohio 44122. Interment will be immediately following the service at Mayfield Cemetery in Cleveland Heights. To view the service, please go to www.mishkanor.org/worship/live-stream/ scroll down to "Sanctuary".

Family will receive friends on Monday, June 30 from 5:00 – 7:00 pm at Congregation Mishkan Or. Additionally, the family will receive friends at 19015 Oxford Road, Shaker Heights, Ohio 44122 between 2:00 – 4:00 pm and 7:00 – 9:00 pm on Tuesday, July 1 and Wednesday, July 2.

In lieu of flowers, the family invites donations to the Ruth Strauss Berger International Travel Scholarship Fund housed at the Shaker Schools Foundation, Cleveland Food Bank, or Congregation Mishkan Or.