We regret to have to inform you of the deaths of two members of the Greater Philadelphia ZOA Family:

Lewis B. Dashe, a longtime member of our Board, former president of the Mid-Atlantic Region and honorary national president, passed away yesterday.

Steven Dzubow, the husband of former Vice President Roberta Dzubow, passed away on Monday.

The obituary for Lew is below. Below the obituary are links to two videos: One of Lew’s acceptance speech when we presented him with our Meritorious Service Medal at our 2012 Gala, and the other is of an interview we did with Lew as a preview for a documentary film that we still hope to do.

May their memory each be for a blessing, and may their loved ones be comforted along with the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.

ZOA Mourns Passing of Lew Dashe, One of its Longest Serving and Distinguished Leaders

Lewis B. Dashevsky (a k a Dashe), 96, of Philadelphia, the honorary national president of the Zionist Organization of America, a retired Certified Public Accountant, and the former owner of Lewis B. Dashe & Co., P.C., died on June 28, 2016.

Mr. Dashevsky was an accountant and management consultant before starting his own business. He retired in 1981 to devote his life to his true passions: Israel, Zionism and the welfare of the Jewish People.

Mr. Dashevsky first went to Israel in 1955 when he was engaged by the accounting firm Kesselman & Kesselman for a special management consulting assignment and system installations in the Jewish State a mere seven years after it had been re-established. He lived in Israel for five months as part of that assignment. Since then, he visited Israel more than 30 times.

Most of Mr. Dashevsky’s pro-Israel advocacy activities took place under the auspices of the Zionist Organization of America. He served as a member of the National ZOA and Greater Philadelphia ZOA boards of directors, and was the president of ZOA’s Mid-Atlantic Region for more than 20 years. Over the years he had also served on ZOA’s National Executive Committee and its National Administrative Board.

Greater Philadelphia ZOA presented him with its Meritorious Service Medal at the organization’s annual Gala in 2012.

He had also been a past president of the Philadelphia Branch of the American Zionist Movement.

Mr. Dashevsky was a founder of a group known by the acronym ACT FAST (Action Committee To Fight Anti-Semitism Today) that was active in the 1970s and 80s, and he was instrumental in the formation of the internationalization of the Jordan is Palestine Committee – an organization that included delegates from five nations, and was its Mid-Atlantic chairman.

He had also served as a member of the board of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Philadelphia, and served on the National and Overseas Allocation Committee of the forerunner of what today is the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia. He also had been active with the Wallenberg Committee and the Coordinating Committee on Vital Jewish Issues.

Mr. Dashevsky was a graduate of Temple University and had also taken classes at the University of Pennsylvania. During World War II, he worked in the inspection division of the naval aircraft factory at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, and was retained as an instructor at their aviation inspection school. In 1944 he attended the army finance school at Fort Harrison in Indiana. After his stint in Israel, he began his own firm, located in the Western Savings Bank Building. He had been a longtime member of the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants and kept up his membership in that organization for decades after he had retired from active practice.

A man of many talents, hobbies and interests, between 1944-45 Mr. Dashevsky copyrighted 21 original songs. In 1947 he wrote a musical with 27 songs called “Things Was Made That Way (in the Key of Black)” that he had also copyrighted. He had also played guitar and had studied at the Barnes Foundation. An avid coin collector and stamp collector, he received the 50-year medal from the American Numismatic Society.

Mr. Dashevsky was a longtime member of the Congregations of Shaare Shamayim.

Born Sept 5, 1919 to Michael and Jennie Dashevsky. Mr. Dashevsky was also predeceased by his wife, the former Gloria Alexenberg. He is survived by his daughter, Jodi Dashe (Gad Ifrah); a grandson, Jacob Ifrah; and many nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews.

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a47YEwBl_yM

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWkGqxMhhrg

 

Greater Philadelphia ZOA needs volunteers to make calls for our Gala for the next two weeks, and we will need people to help with a mailing next week.

The calls can be made from your home or office, while the mailing will take place in the Bala Cynwyd area.

Our Annual Gala is Greater Philadelphia ZOA’s major fundraising activity of the year. A successful Gala will enable our organization to continue and perhaps increase our pro-Israel initiatives. The calls and mailings are important elements toward a successful Gala.

If you can spare some time helping Greater Philadelphia ZOA, we would greatly appreciate it.

We are also looking for volunteers for our special event that we are having with Ryan Bellerose on June 20 at Mikveh Israel in Center City, and for an event that we will be having during the Democratic National Convention in late July.

Please call our Office at 610-660-9466 or email us if you are able to volunteer.

Thank you.