Oct 9, 2018
Mrs. Shulamis Bechhofer, 87, OBM
Mrs. Shulamis Bechhofer, eldest sibling of the illustrious Schochet family who survived the Holocaust, passed away.
By COLlive reporter
Mrs. Shulamis Bechhofer, a resident of Far Rockaway in Queens, NY, and the oldest of Schochet siblings, passed away peacefully on Sunday morning, 28 Tishrei 5779.
She was 87.
A couple days before her passing she shared parting words with her family, filled with serenity and love, and placed her hands on their heads to bless them.
Born in 1931, to her illustrious parents Rabbi Dov Yehuda and Sara Sosha Schochet, the eldest of the 10 Schochet siblings, she was a pillar of strength and support as they lost their grandparents in Telz and Kelm to the horrors of the Holocaust.
While her father served the community as the Rav in Basil and later in Holland, Schulamith was her mother's right hand. When the Schochet family immigrated to Canada in the early 1950s, the family picture was on the front page of newspapers, so rare and miraculous was it to see a family with ten children surviving the war and immigrating from Europe.
Mrs. Bechhofer deep passion and love of Torah empowered her to raise her four children to continue the legacy of spreading the light of Yiddishkeit and living a life in service of Hashem.
Schulamith was a renowned mechaneches, second grade for many years at Torah Academy For Girls, balancing her brilliance in learning with her unique ability to connect to her students with warmth and humor. Her nurturing spirit was visible in her meticulous home, with greenery and plants blossoming all around, tended to with her loving care.
A woman so filled with G-dly energy, she used the last decades of her meaningful life as a dedicated shadchan. Amazingly, Schulamith kept up with the advances in technology well into her 80s and had organized lists on her laptop categorized by age group, background, interest and other relevant details.
She was tireless and spent countless hours meeting with prospective shidduch candidates in her home and served as their mentor, dating coach and guide. Any earnings from successful shidduchim was allocated to tzedaka in support of Yeshivos and Torah learning so dear to her heart.
When it came to material possessions, Mrs. Bechhofer lived with simplicity, her focus was on a life rich with spirituality and the funds she saved enabled her to donate a Sefer Torah in memory of her parents to Yeshivas Ohr Elchonon Chabad in Los Angeles.
She was predeceased by her brother Rabbi Dr. J. Immanuel Schochet.
She is survived by her children Rabbi Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer, Rabbi Yochanan Meir Bechhofer, Mrs. Shoshana Rachel Ungar, and Mrs. Ariella Brown; grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
She is survived by her siblings Mrs. Ruth Averbuch of Crown Heights, Mrs. Batya Wagner of Toronto, Mrs. Amina Newman of Long Beach CA, Mr. Joseph Daniel Schochet of Toronto, Rabbi Dovid Schochet and Rabbi Elisha Shochet of Toronto, Rabbi Ovadia Schochet in Miami and Rabbi Ezra Schochet in Los Angeles.
Her sisters are sitting shiva at her home in Far Rockaway at 146 Beach 9th st. Shachris is at 7:30 a.m. and mincha/ma'ariv at 6:05pm. No visits after 10 pm.
Rabbi Ezra Schochet is sitting shiva until Sunday at 821 N Formosa Ave. #204 in Los Angeles. Minyanim Times: Shachris: Tuesday-Friday - 9:30, Sunday - 8:30 am. Mincha: Tuesday-Thursday - 3:45, Friday 1:10 pm. Shiva Times: 2:30-3:45 & 6:30-9:30 pm - no visits other times.
Rabbi Elisha Shochet is sitting shiva at 5937 Bathurst St. Apt. 3. in Toronto. Minyanim: Shachris 8:45, Mincha 6:20, Mariv 7:15. No visits between 2:00-6:00 pm.
Rabbi Dovid Schochet is sitting Shiva at 42 Milner Gate in Thornhill. Minyanim: Shachris 7am. Shiva visits until 11:30am and after 4:00 pm. Minyan for Mincha followed by maariv.
Baruch Dayan Haemes.
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