Hedy Epstein, Human Rights Activist and Holocaust Survivor, Dies at 91

Hedy Epstein devoted her life to human rights after narrowly escaping persecution from the Nazi regime in Germany. After decades of activism, including work for anti-war, civil rights and pro-Palestinian causes, Epstein died at her home last Thursday.

From her obituary:

Hedy often shared her philosophy of service with these words: “If we don’t try to make a difference, if we don’t speak up, if we don’t try to right the wrong that we see, we become complicit. I don’t want to be guilty of not trying my best to make a difference.”

Hedy always did her best, and the difference she made is evident in the commitment and passion of those called to continue her work. Her friends and admirers honor and salute her deep and lifelong dedication to tikkun olam, the just re-ordering of the world and promise to remember, to stay human, and to never be bystanders.

Just a year ago, Epstein was handcuffed and charged with “failure to disperse” after participating in a St. Louis protest over the death of Michael Brown.

Epstein’s interest in activism emerged early on after her escape from Germany during the Holocaust. Although her parents were able to send her to England, much of her family died in concentration camps. The New York Times outlines her commitment to various causes over the years:

In St. Louis, her passive opposition to the Vietnam War became active with the 1970 bombing campaign in Cambodia, a political awakening that found expression on several fronts. She began working with the local chapter of Freedom of Residence, a fair-housing organization, and served as the chapter’s executive director in the mid-1970s. She found work as a paralegal at Chackes & Hoare, a law firm specializing in employment discrimination law.

After the massacre of Palestinians in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in Lebanon in 1982, Ms. Epstein channeled her energies into the Palestinian cause. She helped found the St. Louis chapters of the Palestine Solidarity Committee and Jewish Voice for Peace.

Beginning in 2003, she traveled several times to the West Bank as a volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement. In the West Bank village of Bil’in, near Ramallah, she was tear-gassed while demonstrating against the Israeli occupation and suffered damage to her hearing when sound bombs went off.

She became an impassioned supporter of the Free Gaza Movement and in 2011 was aboard the ship the Audacity of Hope in a flotilla attempting to break the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Her work as an activist and her commitment to social justice will never be forgotten, and her presence will be sorely missed.

—Posted by Emma Niles