Obituary: Jack I. Freedman
The devoted community leader for the Jewish Home, JCC, ORT and other organizations died Tuesday, March 7.
Jack I. (aka Honey) Freedman, age 95, beloved husband of the late Phyllis Blonder Freedman, passed away Tuesday, March 7, 2017.
He will be lovingly remembered by his children, Doug and Genie Freedman and Robyn and Ed Gerson; his grandchildren, Ali and Marc Garfinkel and Justin and Jaime Spizman; his great-grandchildren, Dani and Bella Spizman, Jeff, Michele and Jack Gerson, Dr. Lee, Alicia and Scott Gerson, and Randi Gerson; his sister-in-law, Lois Blonder; and many nephews and nieces.
A selfless and devoted community volunteer and well-known leader for causes throughout Atlanta and Israel, Jack was a remarkable man known for his kind ways and gentle soul. He left a loving legacy with his dedication to making a difference, his love of family and doing good deeds. The son of Morris and Annie Freedman, Jack came by his love of helping others through his parents, who also were community leaders and devoted members of Ahavath Achim Synagogue.
Concerned about the dignity of the elderly, he led religious services every Saturday morning for over 35 years at the Freedman Chapel, named in his honor at the William Breman Jewish Home and donated by his brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Jerry and Lois Blonder. He served as a past president of the Marcus Jewish Community Center and was a past president and founding member of ORT and its Man of the Year. He and his wife, Phyllis, received the B’nai B’rith Distinguished Service Award, and Jack was honored with the Jewish Theological Seminary’s Eternal Light Award, the Alpha Epsilon Pi Nehemiah Gitelson Silver Medallion and many others. Jack also was honored at the Epstein School’s annual Founders Dinner and by Greenfield Hebrew Academy, which named the Hebrew Language Computer Center in his honor.
Jack attended Boys’ High and Emory University, and in 1942 he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and became a blimp pilot. After the war, he met his sweetheart, Phyllis, on a blind date in 1946, and they married a year later. It was a marriage of the hearts and minds from the beginning and lasted 69 years. They worked tirelessly to help endless causes and to strengthen the Atlanta Jewish community.
The family wishes to thank the caregivers and outstanding staff at the Jewish Home. Jack’s memory will serve as a blessing, and his generous spirit will live on through his endless deeds. The family requests donations in Jack’s memory be given to Ahavath Achim Synagogue and the William Breman Jewish Home. Funeral services were held Wednesday, March 8. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.
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