Helen E. Zelkowitz Obituary (1911

Helen Weiner Zelkowitz, 95, of Mt. Vernon, passed away on Friday, December 15, 2006. She is preceded in death by her parents, Sarah and Samuel Weiner, husband, Charles, son, Stephen, sisters, Tilly Ziskind, Ruth Kanter, and Eleanore Yenkin, brothers, Abe, Bernard, Carl, and Elliott Weiner. She is survived by her daughter-in-law, Donna Zelkowitz; granddaughter, Juliet (Luke) McCarthy III; great-granddaughter, Helen McCarthy, all of Las Vegas, NV; and grandson, Jonathan. She is also survived by her devoted nieces and nephews, Bernard Yenkin, Bernard Kanter, Sam Weiner, Leah Salis, Susan Portman, Sharon Keiffer, Sandra Levine, and Linda Yenkin; and many cousins and friends. Helen was not only a pioneer for women as professionals in the communications industry, but more importantly an exemplar of dedication to community and others. She will be greatly missed. In 1951, she helped launch the local FM station and two years later the AM station and in 1970, Mt. Vernon Cablevision. In 1956, she was a charter member of the Columbus Buckeye Chapter of the American Women in Radio and Television where she served as a life member and former board member. In 1979, she was honored by the Ohio Broadcasters Association as the first “Woman Broadcaster of the Year”. She was among the first inducted into the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame when it was established in 1978 and in May, 1992, was named to the Senior Citizen’s Hall of Fame. In 1956, Mrs. Zelkowitz was a charter member and first president of the local Soroptimist International. She was the first woman to serve as the Campaign Chairman for the United Way of Knox County and later was the organization’s chairman of the board. She has also been the board chair of the Knox County Chapter of the American Red Cross. She has been a dedicated supporter of Kenyon College, including its Hillel organization. Just this past April, Kenyon bestowed upon Helen an honorary Ph.D. She was a life member of Hadassah and a Ruby Lion of Judah of the United Jewish Federation. Her grandfather, Kalman London, was the first rabbi at AgudasAchim Synagogue in Columbus and she was a life member of the synagogue’s sisterhood. She was also a member of the Columbus Jewish Historical Society, World Jewish Congress, B’nai Brith, and ORT. Taking food baskets to the poor with her mother and sisters was routine, setting the example for her own philanthropic lifestyle. To Helen, giving was a privilege. Among the many beneficiaries are: Israel Red Cross, Columbus Jewish Foundation, Columbus Jewish Federation, American Red Cross (Mt. Vernon), Kenyon College Hillel, OSU Hillel Foundation, Knox County United Way, Mt. Vernon Community Trust, Mt. Vernon “Food for the Hungry” drive, Jewish Family Services, Jewish Community Center, Knox County Community Hospital, Agudas Achim Synagogue, Columbus Torah Academy, Columbus Jewish Day School, Jewish Community Center of Greater Columbus, Hadassah, Mt. Vernon YMCA, Mt. Vernon Development Center, Wexner Heritage Village, Schottenstein Chabad House, Shalom House, Simon Wiesenthal Center, and the US Holocaust Memorial Center, as well as many charities in Israel. Funeral service 3PM Tuesday, December 19, 2006 at THE EPSTEIN MEMORIAL CHAPEL, 3232 E. Main St., Columbus. Prior to the funeral, the family will receive friends from 9AM – 12PM at FLOWERS-SNYDER FUNERAL HOME, 619 E. High Street, Mt. Vernon. Shiva will be observed at the residence of Bernard and Susie Kanter. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the Charles, Helen, and Stephen Zelkowitz Foundation, 1175 College Ave. Columbus, OH 43209, Agudas Achim Synagogue, Kenyon College Hillel, 103 College Drive, Gambier, OH 43022, or the American Red Cross of Knox County, 300 N. Mulberry St. Mt. Vernon, OH 43050