Remembering Our Dedicated Supporter, Phyllis Haas
Posted on Nov 23, 2020
This past May, Torah Fund lost a jewel in its crown, Phyllis Haas. Phyllis was active in Torah Fund for over six decades and had 54 (triple chai) Torah Fund pins in her collection, displayed on bell pulls she designed.
Phyllis wanted to leave Torah Fund better than when she began volunteering, and always worked in support of that goal. In a letter to Phyllis, Rabbi Marshall Matzman z”l, wrote, “You have been relentless in your pursuit of urging for high standards and uncompromising moral and ethical ideals. You are a fine example of how a Jewish layperson can combine community involvement with family commitment.”
The greatest strengths of Phyllis were her enthusiasm to teach and her fundraising tenacity. Her son David shares, “Most important was her commitment of time and energy to Torah Fund. She served as Torah Fund Chair in many sisterhoods to which she belonged, as National Chair of the Torah Fund Residence Hall Campaign for JTS, and as Chair of the Long-Range Planning Committee of Women’s League. She was so thrilled when the Women’s League Seminary Synagogue was dedicated.” Phyllis also served as Region President of Women’s American ORT and Philadelphia Branch President of WLCJ. A visionary, Phyllis made a generous bequest to Torah Fund, a testament of her enduring devotion to the organization.
The Torah Fund Legacy Society gives us the opportunity to follow Phyllis’s path. Through our legacy gifts, we can ensure that we will meet the needs of future generations of Jewish students. To join the Torah Fund Legacy Society and for more information please contact Edna Schrank, Chair, at eschrank@wlcj.org or Marcia Toppall, Co-Chair, at marciatoppall@gmail.com.
A special thank-you to David Haas for sharing his beautiful recollections and photos. Please share your recollections of Phyllis with David Haas at DIHaas@duanemorris.com. We know he would appreciate hearing from his mother’s friends and fellow volunteers.
