Mrs. Tzivia Dorfman, a proud Jewish mother and grandmother from Montreal, Canada, passed away on Wednesday, 5 Adar, 5781 after complications of Alzheimer’s disease.
She was 88.
Tzivia was born to refugees that fled the Soviet Union after the Russian Revolution and ensuing pogroms. Her mother’s brother Tevyl Yesovitch was unable to leave, having been sent to Siberia.
A tenacious and fierce woman, attributes she inherited from a long line of proud Jewish women, she courageously lived through personal turmoil and crisis, growing in her faith and dedication on the way.
Tzivia was active in addiction education, working alongside her husband Bernard Dorfman for many years. She was a kind and charitable woman, who sent aid to Jews trapped in the Soviet Union and sponsored a Persian family to help them escape Iran when the Shah fell.
Known for her sharp tongue and quick wit, her comments were fierce but her love for her family was abiding.
She lived with great Jewish pride, and was a member of at least three synagogues – and knew all the rabbis by name. She had a special love for Lubavitch, for the Rebbe and his shluchim.
She kept track of some of the yeshivah bochurim that knew her, keeping up with their lives and posting pictures of their families on her fridge.
She is survived by her children, Mushka Lightstone – Los Angeles, CA and Eric (Yechiel) Dorfman – Cherry Hill, NJ, and grandchildren and great-grandchildren in Canada, America, and Israel.
For zoom funeral information and to email condolences: [email protected].
Baruch Dayan Ha’emes.
May Hashem comfort the Dorfman family for the loss of their dynamic matriarch.
We were privileged to have the Dorfmans attend our Chabad. Mr Dorfman would leave his office in middle of the day to learn and to daven.
Truly Varme Yidden.
May their vibrant legacy be a source of comfort to their wonderful children and grandchildren and generations to come.
Yossi Shanowitz