Arie Hefter age 77 died on October 22, 2026 in West Caldwell, NJ. He was the son of Ephraim and Tova (Rajman) Hefter both of whom were survivors of the Holocaust. At age one and a half, Arie with his family emigrated from Poland to Israel. For the first 8 years in Israel the family lived in a tent and then in a deserted British army barrack. The family eventually settled in Haifa. Arie became an Israeli “sabra”... tough and prickly on the outside and soft and sweet on the inside.
Arie’s 3 year Israeli Army service was spent on the Golan Heights and on a border kibbutz clearing mine fields. He then studied Sound Engineering at the Israel Broadcasting Service. He worked in this field in a popular musical theater production. At this time Arie met Ellen Colman, a NJ woman living in Israel. They came to the US and married in 1973. In the early days of his career in the US, Arie was a TV Sound Tech but then became a TV Cameraman/Jib Operator winning an Emmy Award for technical excellence.
Arie was a bird watcher and an animal lover. He enjoyed discussing politics, learning American history and watching ballet, symphony, opera and theatre. He greatly enjoyed riding his motorcycle and flying single engine planes particularly with his young son, Mark, along. Watching Mark play ice-hockey turned Arie into an avid fan of the game. Travel to unusual places like Kenya, Singapore, Alaska, Costa Rica and Southern Hudson Bay were high- lights. His most memorable experiences were having a baby elephant suck his hand in Kenya and touching and kissing grey whales that came up to his boat in the lagoons of Baja California.
Arie was predeceased by his parents, his brother-in-law Israel Segal and his labradoodle Sophie. Arie is survived by his beloved wife Ellen Colman Hefter and his adored son Mark. Other survivors include his sister Lea Segal in Israel, his in-laws Allan and Robin Colman in CA, Stuart Colman in SC and nieces, nephews, cousins (especially Natan and Gershon who grew up with him like brothers) and friends in the USA and Israel.
The funeral service will take place at Bernheim-Apter-Kreitzman Suburban Funeral Chapel, 68 Old Short Hills Road, Livingston, NJ 07039, on Sunday, October 25, 2026, at 1:00 pm, with a livestream available at: https://webcast.funeralvue.com/events/viewer/125482.
The family will be receiving guests from 12:15 pm to 12:45 pm. The burial will follow at B'nai Abraham Memorial Park, 2600 US-22, Union, NJ 07083.
Donations in Arie’s memory may be made to israelguidedog.org or a charity of your choice.
