08/18/2026
We’re mourning the loss of a woman who was truly one of a kind, Risa Igelfeld. Holocaust survivor, beloved JCC preschool teacher for 40 years, and the accordion player behind decades of our Shabbats and so many celebrations, passed away recently at 108 years old.
Risa fled Nazi-occupied Vienna in 1938, rebuilt her life in England and then LA, and spent the next half century filling our halls with music, warmth, and an unshakable belief in gratitude. We were lucky enough to celebrate her 100th birthday right here at the J.
Her funeral is tomorrow, Tuesday, August 18 at 1:30 PM PT. It was Risa’s wish that everyone who celebrated her 100th birthday with us here to be invited, so our whole J family is invited to join by webcast through Mount Sinai Memorial Parks and Mortuaries (registration required):
https://mountsinaiparks.keeper.memorial/event/d937a96a-9753-11f1-9962-0228c41de0cd?host=RisaIgelfeld
Zichrona livracha. May her memory be a blessing.
11/1/1917–8/10/2026