Community leader Dorlene Alaynick dies after short illness

DORLENE LAUFERSKI ALAYNICK, a longtime New Orleans resident and prominent community leader, passed away peacefully on January 16, 2021, following a brief illness. She was 91.

DORLENE ALAYNICK

A past president of the Greater New Orleans Chapter of Hadassah, Alaynick was committed and involved as a volunteer in both the Jewish community and the larger metropolitan area. 

A devoted and active member of Temple Sinai, she also dedicated much of her free time as a member of the Jewish Endowment Foundation of Louisiana (JEF). Alaynick was also a member of the New Orleans Garden Society, a volunteer at East Jefferson Hospital, and an active participant in many animal rights organizations.

Aside from her gardening, she frequently went out to enjoy bowling, square dancing and to take in the weekly Thursday evening concerts at New Orleans City Park’s Pavillion of the Two Sisters. She swam daily whenever possible and frequently attended local theatre and classical music offerings around town. 

Alaynick’s Saturday evening  dinners at highly regarded New Orleans restaurants or her luncheons with friends were also among her most treasured of weekly social events.

A native of Chicago, she graduated from high school there before enrolling at Washington University in St. Louis. She was active in several student organizations at W.U. before graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in Merchandising and Retail in 1952. Alaynick then returned to Chicago to begin a career in retail cosmetics and high fashion.

She relocated to New Orleans in the early 1960s when she became a cosmetics buyer for Maison Blanche Department Store. She stayed in that capacity until her retirement from the store in 1969. 

She was predeceased by her husband, Moise M. Alyanick, who died almost exactly 16 years prior to her passing. She is survived by her stepdaughter Irene Alaynick Killen and her stepson, Dr. Michael Alaynick of Carlsbad, CA.

Due to the restrictions due to COVID 19, a memorial service will be held at a later date at Temple Sinai. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations are suggested to Temple Sinai or to your favorite charity.