Monday, December 8th 2025   |

Obituaries

Obituaries are published at the discretion of the CCJN and are free of charge. Obituaries are a product of the editorial department and are a story of a person’s life. Editorial policy may determine the length and content of an obituary. Death notices are submitted by family members and may, for example, fully list all survivors. Death notices are never edited, but are assessed a processing fee according to length. Photos for obituaries may also carry a processing fee of $18.00, which can be waived at the discretion of the CCJN. Payments for photos can be submitted to CCJN, 3810 Nashville Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70125 or paid securely through PayPal.

Frank Gehry, renowned architect who began life as Frank Goldberg, dies at 96

By GRACE GILSON

(JTA) — Frank Gehry, a Jewish architect who became one of the world’s most renowned innovators in his field for his contributions to modernist architecture, including the famed Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, has died at 96.

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Real estate developer, hotelier Stephen Manshel is laid to rest; memorial being planned

STEPHEN D. MANSHEL, a real estate developer and hotelier with a lifelong connection to Zionism and the State of Israel, passed away on Sunday, November 23. He was 85.

Manshel made New Orleans his home for the past 60 years—a...

Houston lawyer, professor and developer Stephen Zimmerman, a former New Orleanian, is laid to rest there

STEPHEN “STEVE” NEAL ZIMMERMAN, a lawyer and developer who called New Orleans home as a young boy through his college years and who later made his home in Houston, died there on October 31, 2025, in the comfort of his...

Katherine Janus Kahn, illustrator of ‘Sammy Spider’ Jewish children’s books, dies at 83

By PENNY SCHWARTZ

(JTA) — More than 30 years ago, a colorful little eight-legged spider named Sammy made his picture book debut and scurried into the homes of Jewish families across the country.

Sammy Spider and his mother live in...

Daniel Naroditsky, Jewish chess grandmaster and influential streamer, dies at 29

By GRACE GILSON

(JTA) — Daniel Naroditsky, a Jewish chess grandmaster and former child prodigy who became one of the game’s most popular voices through his streaming, commentary and teaching, has died at 29.

Naroditsky’s death was announced Monday by...

Owner of Rug and Carpet Center, Harrel Zivitz, is laid to rest

HARREL A. ZIVITZ,  asuccessful businessman and owner of Rug and Carpet Center, passed away peacefully at his Metairie home on  Friday, October 10, 2025. He was 87.

A native of Mobile, AL, he was a true southern gentleman, both kind...

Susan Stamberg, iconic Jewish ‘founding mother’ of NPR, dies at 87

By ANDREW LAPIN

(JTA) — When Susan Stamberg first sat behind the microphone to host a newfangled broadcasting venture called National Public Radio, in 1972, some board members had a concern: She sounded too Jewish.

Though that wasn’t quite how...

Healthcare administrator Edward Jay Smith to be laid to rest in Lexington

EDWARD JAY SMITH, a healthcare administrator and former resident of New Orleans, passed away on September 27, 2025. He was 75.

Born in Houston, Smith attended the University of Texas before coming to New Orleans to attend Tulane University, earning...

Samuel Bruce Lehrer, distinguished researcher dies at 82

SAMUEL BRUCE LEHER, Ph.D.,  a distinguished microbiologist and clinical immunology researcher whose work advanced understanding of food and environmental allergens, passed away on September 16, 2025. He was 82.

Born in New Britain, Connecticut,Lehrer pursued a...

Clara Jean Pulitzer Berry is laid to rest

CLARA JEAN PULITZER BERRY, a native New Orleanian, passed away at her home in Greensboro, North Carolina, on September 7, 2025 after a brief illness. She was 94.

A native New Orleanian, she graduated from Isidore...