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Obituaries
ETHEL ARRINGTON
NORFOLK—Ethel Arrington, age 72, passed away on Sunday, October 10, 2021.
She is survived by a brother, Larry Sonkin, a sister, Harriet Dunlap, brother-in-law, Paul Dunlap, and multiple cousins.
Ethel was a graduate of Old Dominion University with a bachelor of science degree in Chemistry. She taught math and science at Hebrew Academy of Tidewater and Portsmouth public schools. She then worked as a chemist at the Naval Air Rework Facility for 30 years.
She was a very charitable person, particularly with animal rescue organizations. She also spent countless hours bringing literature of encouragement and faith to victims of PTSD, police departments, as well as fire and rescue personnel.
Donations may be given to Hope for Life Rescue, Inc.
A private service was held. Altmeyer Funeral Homes.
JILL RENEE HAVERSON
VIRGINIA BEACH—Jill Renee Haverson passed away on October 1, 2021 at the age of 55.
She was born in Norfolk, Va. to her parents Sybil Friedberg and Jeffrey G. Haverson who both predeceased her.
Jill graduated from Kempsville High School in 1984, then after college expressed her passion for art through cosmetology and painting. She was a courageous fighter who spread love and uplifted others even while enduring many challenges. She was committed to and loved her family, and worked with her father in his law practice for years.
Jill is survived by her beautiful daughter Haley Haverson of Virginia Beach, and sisters and brothers-in-law from Maryland, Marci and Adam Steiner and Matt and Rachel Perlman, as well as her niece and nephews, Josh and Noa Steiner and Jake and Jack Perlman.
A private funeral service was held at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Norfolk. The recorded service is available for viewing on the HD Olicer Facebook page. Contributions in Jill’s memory may be made to Juvenile Diabetes Association, Temple Israel in Norfolk, or JWI-Jewish Women International.
HERBERT ALAN LEVIN
BOCA RATON, FLA.—Lieutenant Commander Herbert Alan Levin USN, Retired, passed away peacefully in the early evening hours of October 8, 2021, in Boca Raton, Fa., with his beloved wife Carol and her loving daughter Lauren at his bedside. His battle with chronic illness over the past few years demonstrated his courage while maintaining his kindness, compassion and appreciation of others.
Herb was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pa. as the son of the late Samuel and Rose Levin. After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh in 1959, he joined the United States Navy to serve his country and see the world. While stationed in Norfolk, Va., he met his first wife, Elaine Mendelson Levin, of blessed memory. He circumnavigated the globe on the USS Canberra and ultimately retired as a Lieutenant Commander. Following his military service, Herb resided in the Tidewater area and became a CPA. He was a partner in the firms of Swartz, Bresenoff, Yavner & Jacobs and Failes & Associates, and developed many long-term relationships with clients who became his friends.
Herb was committed to supporting his family, friends, and community. He always helped others willfully with a smile. He was an active member in the Masonic Temple and the Portsmouth Host Lions Club for many years, serving as the Club’s president, 1981–1982. In 1986, he was appointed by the Governor of Virginia for a three-year term to the Virginia Health Services Cost Review Council. He also served on the board of Beth Sholom Home.
Herb’s faith in God and devotion to Judaism was lifelong as an active member in Gomley Chesed Synagogue and Ohef Sholom Temple in Tidewater, as well as Temple Beth El in Boca Raton, Florida, where he spent the last 20 years of his life.
Herb is survived by his wife Carol Gross Levin, who he married in 1993; his three children Ronald Levin (Stephanie) of Charlottesville, Va., Scott Levin (Betty Ann) of Virginia Beach, Va., and Becky Levin (Stacey Folsom) of Washington DC; his three stepchildren Jeff Slepin (Susan) of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., Robert Slepin (Kimi) of Toronto, Canada, and Lauren Antonino (Tom) of Atlanta, Ga.; his grandchildren Elayna, Alexandra, Sam, Julia, Emerson, Eliot, Tommy, Matthew, Jamie, David, Renee, and Ryan; his sister Beverly Lewis (Marvin) of Daytona Beach, Fla.; and his sister-in-law Colette Levin (Donald of blessed memory) of Indianapolis, Indiana. Chloe, Herb’s beloved feline companion for the past nine years, will continue to bless Carol with warmth, affection, friendship, and love.
To celebrate Herb’s life, a memorial service was held at Ohef Sholom Temple, with Rabbi Rosalin Mandelberg and Cantor Jennifer Reuben officiating. A private burial at Forest Lawn Cemetery followed.
Donations in Herb’s memory requested to Ohef Sholom Temple in Norfolk or Temple Beth El in Boca Raton. Online condolences may be shared with the family at www.hdoliver.com.
LORRAINE PHYLLIS PESIN
VIRGINIA BEACH—Lorraine Phyllis Pesin passed away the evening of Wednesday, October 6, 2021 at Beth Sholom Village in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Lorraine was born in Washington, DC in 1929 to Maurice (Mo) and Mina Grudd. The family moved to Los Angeles in 1930 where Mo took a job as a lawyer for the Veterans Administration and also befriended many people in show business who came by their house for food and drink. Lorraine’s sister Marcia and mother Mina both predeceased her in the 1940s from cancer. Lorraine attended UCLA for one year and met Chester (Chet) Shapiro who had recently returned from World War II service. They were married from 1948 to 1964.
In 1967, Lorraine married Byron (Bob) Pesin and she eventually attended law school in Los Angeles. While she was not successful in passing the California Bar, for several years she worked in various administrative positions in legal practices. In the 1980s, Byron and Lorraine relocated their joint legal practice to the Palm Springs, California area. An avid reader, Lorraine continued her active participation in book clubs by having a leadership role in the local HadassahBrandeis Institute chapter. In addition, she was active in the Masonic Lodge and the Eastern Star. Bob and Lorraine took much pleasure in hosting their Los Angeles friends for marathon weekends of bridge.
After Bob died in 2012, Lorraine moved to a retirement home Durham, N.C. where she soon developed a new and extensive group of friends. Always the organizer, she and her friend Burt Sederholm organized a series of educational courses at the retirement home. A stroke in 2019 necessitated the move to Beth Sholom Village.
She is survived by her sons, Martin Sloane and his wife Karen Kopp of Germany, Richard Sloane and his wife Kimberly Smart of Durham, N.C., and Steven Sloane and his wife Lotte de Beer of Germany; eight grandchildren; three great grandchildren; and a host of other family and friends.
A graveside service will be held on Friday, October 29 at 10:30 am at Forest Lawn Cemetery with Rabbi Adam Ruditsky officiating. Express condolences to the family at www.altmeyerfh.com.
JIM FLEISCHER, CEO OF JEWISH FRATERNITY AEPI
Bob Jacob (Cleveland Jewish News via JTA)—Jim Fleischer, a Canton, Ohio native who served as CEO of the historic Jewish fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi since June 2018, died of cancer on Saturday, October 9. He was 52.
In a statement posted on its website, AEPi said, “Jim fought a courageous battle against cancer for the last three years, but the fight was too much and he passed away yesterday evening surrounded by his family and fraternity brothers.”
Fleischer graduated from Kent State University in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology, and worked as an
OBITUARIES
AEPi chapter consultant upon graduation before working as a fundraiser for UJA Federation of New York. He owned his own printing business on Long Island for nearly 18 years, during which time he was a volunteer chapter adviser and regional governor for AEPi. He was elected to the fraternity’s supreme board of governors in 2006.
In 2013, Fleischer rejoined the fraternity’s executive staff as its assistant executive director and COO. In 2019, AEPi’s supreme council awarded him the Order of the Lion, the fraternity’s highest honor, for exemplary dedication and service to the fraternity.
“Until he took his last breath yesterday, Jim demonstrated his love for two things above all else: his family and AEPi,” the fraternity said in the statement.
“Jim’s love for AEPi was unmatched. Those of us who knew him well, knew that there was nothing that energized him more than having the opportunity to meet with undergraduate AEPi brothers, to help them better themselves and their chapters. His commitment to AEPi’s mission, our Jewish communities and Israel are why he devoted his life to our fraternity. We hope that we all use Jim’s life as further inspiration to better our fraternity and our communities.”
Founded in 1913, AEPi is active at around 180 campuses internationally, including in Israel, according to its website. Somewhere between 9,000 to 10,000 undergraduates are active in the fraternity every year, most but not all of them Jewish. The fraternity has more than 100,000 alumni.
Fleischer was described by colleagues as a successful leader who had a passion for Jewish causes and the state of Israel.
He was “very infectious with enthusiasm and energy, and Jewish community in his gut—that kind of person,” Ronald Klein, an AEPi foundation board of directors member, told the Cleveland Jewish News. “You could see even by the pictures, a very warm person, and I think that led to his being a successful leader, whether it was in different roles he took at AEPi or in other things he did in his life.”
“I just felt he knew the Jewish community and the value of AEPi in his gut,” Klein said. “AEPi has been sort of a predominant Jewish fraternity for a number of years now. There was a lot of responsibility that went with the fraternity moving toward that direction, as opposed to some of these other fraternities that became more assimilated, and he was one of the people along with others who felt the Jewish nature of AEPi was so important from developing the next level of community leaders from our Jewish community—young men who at a younger age felt the passion of Israel, felt the passion of Jewish values, and he just obviously took it upon himself to lead in that direction.”
Fleischer is survived by his wife of 26 years, Alison Braun Fleischer; his sons, Ethan and Spencer, his daughter, Madison “Madi”; his father, Frank Fleischer of Canton; his brother, Richard “Rick” of South Euclid; and his in-laws, nieces and nephews.
A service was held at Congregation Beth El Zedeck in Indianapolis.
A version of this article was originally published in the Cleveland Jewish News and is reprinted with permission.
Chris Sisler, Vice President, Member of Ohef Sholom Temple, Board member of the Berger-Goldrich Home at Beth Sholom Village, James E. Altmeyer, Jr., President, James E. Altmeyer, Sr., Owner
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