Elisa's Story

August 28th, 1964- August 22nd, 2020

Elisa was a lover of all things fun. She was a wonderful wife, marvelous mother, passionate elementary school teacher, compassionate animal lover, and a fabulous friend. Elisa cherished spending time with those she loved, traveling and supporting Israel, and upholding Jewish values of bettering one's community. Previously, Elisa worked for the Jewish Federation as well as the Washington Post. She later found the love of her life, Richard, and they were married in April of 2000. The years flew by as Elisa immediately became a mother of four. She made being a new wife, stepmom, and mother of two new babies look like a breeze. Elisa cherished friends from all points in her life, including childhood, college years, her time living on a kibbutz at Israel, and as a young professional in Washington D.C. She devoted her life to helping others, such as in the classroom with Montgomery County Public Schools as a substitute teacher. She made it her mission to teach and spread happiness, no matter the challenge.

In December of 2019, Elisa was diagnosed with a new, frightening challenge: Stage IV Triple-Negative Breast Cancer. Once Elisa learned that medicine was no longer capable of halting the advance of her disease, we began thinking about what she would have done were she to have lived another 15-20 years. Those discussions led to ideas for promoting Jewish cooking, recognizing excellent educators, and building community cross-cultural engagements, among others.

Elisa passed away peacefully, one week short of her 56th birthday, on August 22nd, 2020. This horrible disease never took away her sparkle and joie de vivre, and it will not take ours away either. It is our mission to carry on her legacy for generations to come. We are committed to spreading her inspiring light and acts of kindness for all to learn from.