Abraham Judah Samet
SAMET: Abraham Judah Samet passed away on Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022, in Pittsburgh after a remarkable life. Born in Hungary in 1938, he survived Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, was present at the founding of the State of Israel in 1948, and moved to the U.S. in 1962. He married Barbara Lee Schiffman (z”l) after just two dates, and had one daughter, Elizabeth Hope Samet. He owned Schiffman’s Jewelers, where he sold diamonds to the elite of Pittsburgh for 45 years; chanted Torah at Tree of Life Congregation for 40 years; and was a dynamic and impactful speaker to hundreds of schools, colleges and churches about his Holocaust experiences for the last 15 years. He represented the Tree of Life Congregation at the 2019 State of Union address in Washington D.C., where the U.S. Congress sang him “Happy Birthday” on national television. He is survived by his large and loving family in the U.S. and in Israel: his daughter Elizabeth and son-in-law David Winitsky; the lights of his life, his grandsons Ezekiel and Alexander; two sisters (Henya and Miriam) and two brothers (Moshe and Itzik); five nephews, six nieces, and their combined 32 children; dozens of cousins and a legion of wonderful friends, all of whom are grateful to have known this extraordinary man. Services at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., 5509 Centre Avenue, Shadyside on Thursday, Sept. 29, at 12:00 p.m. Visitation one hour prior to services (11 a.m. to 12 noon), followed by interment at Beth Shalom Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to the Tree of Life’s Rebuilding campaign at Tree of Life, PO Box 5273, Pittsburgh PA 15206 (treeoflifepgh.org/donate). schugar.com PJC
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