A Life of Resilience—An Inspiration for All

Home / News & Events / Newsletter

A Life of Resilience—An Inspiration for All

Dec 7, 2022

Katherina "Katy" Schaffer knows what it means to face extraordinary odds. But she has also experienced, first-hand, the triumph of perseverance. Over the course of her 97 years, Katy has faced unimaginable challenges, including time spent in three Nazi concentration camps. Through them all, she has proven time and again she has the strength of spirit to carry on—and, above all else, that she is a true survivor.

A resident of Los Angeles Jewish Health's Grancell Village for the past year, Katy's story starts in 1925, in pre-war Czechoslovakia. One of six siblings, at the age of 19 she traveled to a neighboring town to become an apprentice seamstress. As Europe fell under the cloud of Nazi threat, her parents sent word that she should return home. On her way back, at a train station in the company of her older sister, Katy was abducted by the Germans. So began an odyssey that would subject her to the unimaginable horrors of the Holocaust and leave her at death's door.

"When my mom was liberated, in 1945, she remembers airplanes dropping little bags of cheese and bread. Some people she knew in the camps, who were on the brink of starvation, ate so much that they died—their systems couldn't handle all that sustenance at once," says Katy's daughter, Erit Siegal. "Fortunately, she restrained herself, and she eventually made it to a hospital, where she recuperated for a long time."

After she was liberated, Katy traveled to her native Czechoslovakia, only to find that, aside from two sisters and a brother, her entire family had perished in the Holocaust. She and her siblings eventually emigrated to Israel, where she met her husband Otto and gave birth to Erit. By then, one sister had moved again—this time, to Los Angeles—and Katy and Otto decided to join her.

Katy and her family—which soon expanded to include a son, George—thrived in Southern California. Otto worked in the garment industry; Katy was a homemaker who cooked, sewed clothing, and provided a warm and loving environment for her children in the house they purchased in the San Fernando Valley in 1963. Despite the hardships she had endured, she found fulfillment and success.

"I always tell people to learn from their parents and neighbors, to follow Jewish values, to help the poor, and to be a mensch," she says.

Husband Otto passed away in 2011; Katy stayed in their home for another decade or so. Among the hobbies she took up during this period was volunteering for seven years at Los Angeles Jewish Health (LAJH), in the Arts and Crafts Room on the Eisenberg Village campus. "I've always felt that, wherever I can help, I help," she says. "Giving back to LAJH was a way for me to contribute."

Katy came to Los Angeles Jewish Health as a resident via our short-term rehabilitation program after falling and fracturing her spine. While in rehab, the vascular disease she had in her leg progressed, ultimately resulting in the amputation of her leg. She moved into Los Angeles Jewish Home full-time just over 12 months ago.

"Mom has always been incredibly active, and losing her leg was so traumatic," Erit recalls. "But it's kind of miraculous how she's adapted and adjusted. I think her experience in the war contributed to her being able to deal with her current situation—these survivors have something special in them that has enabled them to carry on."

Today, Katy keeps her mind and body active and agile through knitting, doing word searches, and reading. Already during her brief tenure at LAJH, she has developed a reputation for her trademark resilience and positive energy. "Katy is an extraordinary person, and it's an honor to have her residing here at Los Angeles Jewish Health," says Rabbi Karen Bender, LAJH's chief mission officer. "She never allowed the atrocities she witnessed and experienced during the Shoah to interfere with her ability to embrace life, and it's no wonder all of the staff adore her. I personally love spending time with Katy. Her smile inspires me!"

For her part, Katy is grateful for the blessings of family and the benefits of living at Los Angeles Jewish Health. "My children and four grandchildren keep me going," she says. "And I appreciate LAJH: I like the kosher food, I've made friends with my roommate, and Dr. Marco and my nurses are right here to help take care of me. I love it here—other places are just not the same!"

Prev Page Next Page

Share

Sign up for the Los Angeles Jewish Health newsletter, Connections.

First Name

Last Name

Email

Recent Articles

Aug 3

L.A. Business Leader and Philanthropist Michelle Rubin Elevated to Chair of Los Angeles Jewish Health Board of Directors

(RESEDA, CA – July 23, 2026) The Los Angeles Jewish Health board of directors has elected prominent real estate executive Michelle Rubin as chair. Rubin, president of Beverly Hills-based Regional Properties, Inc., will serve a two-year term helping set the direction for LAJH, Los Angeles’ largest nonprofit, single-source provider of comprehensive senior healthcare services.Rubin is the great-grandniece of H. Lew Zuckerman, one of the founders of LAJH in 1912, and the daughter of Pam and Mark Rubin, whose lifetime of service to the organization—as board members and advocates—ranks them among its most dedicated supporters.“Investing both time and resources in LAJH is a family tradition: My grandparents established the Palm Springs Auxiliary; my parents helped start the Marilyn and Monty Hall Statesman’s Society; my mom was a board member; and my dad was a member of The Guardians, as are my brother and my nephew,” Rubin said, referring to a number of high-impact LAJH support groups. “Los Angeles Jewish Health is in my blood.”For decades, Rubin has been an influential figure at LAJH in her own right, first as a member of the young leadership program Tovim, then as chair of the organization’s in-residence board for the Grancell Village and Eisenberg Village campuses, and most recently as chair of the board for the Brandman Centers for Senior Care (BCSC) PACE Program. In her new position, she will play an instrumental role in advancing LAJH’s mission, overseeing its financial stewardship, and cultivating a pipeline of volunteer leaders dedicated to ensuring its long-term future.“LAJH is an incredible community that upholds the Fifth Commandment—honor your father and mother—by providing exceptional quality care,” Rubin said. “As board chair, it is my goal to carry that legacy forward so our seniors can continue to be safe, healthy, and thriving.”Rubin brings a wealth of corporate and philanthropic experience to her tenure as board chair. Leveraging her skills and knowledge, noted LAJH’s President and CEO Dale Surowitz, will position LAJH for continued success.“Michelle Rubin is not only familiar with every one of our lines of business at LAJH; she is also an expert in serving as a fiduciary for companies and not-for-profit organizations alike,” Surowitz said. “Her commitment to growing LAJH’s capacity for meeting seniors’ needs, and to strengthening the social fabric of our city more broadly, will make her a tremendous board chair. I am excited to partner with her on behalf of the thousands of elderly men and women we serve.”

Los Angeles Jewish Health Receives Prestigious Certification from the American Heart Association

As the largest single-source senior care provider in the area, Los Angeles Jewish Health is recognized as a distinguished leader in the field committed to making a positive difference in seniors’ lives. The American Heart Association (AHA) recently recognized the quality of care at Los Angeles Jewish Health by awarding the organization its Skilled Nursing Facility Heart Failure Certification. Fewer than 1 percent of nursing facilities nationwide hold this distinction.LAJH is one of the first Jewish facilities to receive this certification, and the first outside New York and New Jersey.“This prestigious recognition reflects the dedication of our healthcare team, who have provided exceptional care for more than 114 years since LAJH’s founding,” says Dale Surowitz, chief executive officer and president of LAJH. “As seniors live longer and their medical challenges grow in complexity, we are proud to be keeping pace, setting national standards for excellence in cardiac care, and in geriatric care more broadly, that are enabling seniors to make the most of their later years.”The certification provides an evidence-based framework for evaluating skilled nursing facilities against the AHA’s rigorous requirements for heart failure care including program management, patient and caregiver education and support, care coordination, clinical management, and clinical improvement.CHF Certification TeamNoah Marco, MD, CMD, LAJH’s chief medical officer, says the organization’s state-of-the-art heart failure management unit continues to demonstrate transformative approaches to care.“Twenty percent of heart failure patients admitted to the hospital are brought back to the hospital within 30 days of discharge. But our unit, by preserving patients’ independence, managing their multiple chronic conditions, and empowering those we serve to meet their goals, has a readmission rate of under 2%,” Dr. Marco says. “The AHA’s certification is a meaningful endorsement of our approach and our impact across Southern California.”Mark Taper Building Administrator Charlette Ofrecio notes that a wide range of factors drive the unit’s success, among them its focus on coordinated compassionate care.“Each of our residents in the unit benefits from a deeply collaborative team including a cardiologist who oversees the program and regularly reviews each resident’s clinical status with our interdisciplinary staff,” Ofrecio says. “Through the combined expertise of pharmacy, dietary, and nursing, along with innovative, noninvasive monitoring technology, we’re able to proactively manage heart failure and provide meaningful education to residents and families for success at home.”Dr. Marco says that, while an unplanned hospitalization is an extremely stressful event in the lives of older adults and their families, LAJH’s heart failure management unit can offer critical peace of mind.“Our staff have the knowledge and expertise necessary to address one of the most challenging chronic diseases that older adults can face,” he says. “Heart failure patients who come to us can rest assured that there is literally nowhere else in our community better equipped to provide the specialized care they need.”

New Sculpture Honors Beloved Los Angeles Jewish Health Donor

When Dr. Rosalyn Heyman passed away in 2021, Los Angeles Jewish Health (LAJH) lost a staunch supporter and dear friend. But she remained dedicated to the organization to the end, leaving a significant bequest to continue advancing its vital mission. To recognize Heyman’s generosity, LAJH commissioned a sculpture in her honor, unveiling the piece last month in a dedication ceremony that celebrated her enduring legacy.The sculpture, entitled “Tanya’s Gift,” is the work of noted local artist Jonathan Bickart, whose installations are on display at UCLA, Griffith Park, and other locations across Los Angeles. Featured prominently on LAJH’s Grancell Village campus between the Joyce Eisenberg-Keefer Medical Center, the Mark Taper Building, and the Schulman Medical Building, the sculpture depicts a young girl sitting atop a stack of books—a tribute to Heyman’s distinguished career as a pioneering figure in the L.A. education landscape.“Rosalyn was an amazing person who made an incredible impact on her community,” says Aaron Levinson, LAJH’s vice president for planned giving. “She started out as a teacher with the Los Angeles Unified School District, then became one of the district’s first female principals [of Berendo Junior High], and ultimately rose to serve as the district’s assistant superintendent of secondary education.”Levinson says Heyman’s stories of her time at LAUSD were larger than life.“Rosalyn was unbelievably bold and seriously funny,” he recalls. “She used to tell me she wanted to write her memoir and call it Bad Things I Did With Good Results. For instance, when she took over at Berendo, it was the worst-performing school in the district, and there was significant gang activity, with kids storing knives and guns in their lockers. One day, she started cracking down by opening up every locker and confiscating all the weapons. She knew she’d never get official permission to do it, but went ahead anyway, and when I asked her about whether she was worried she would get in trouble, she said, ‘What were the kids or their parents going to say to me: Someone came in and stole my gun?’ Her plan went off without a hitch, and she ended up turning the school around.”Heyman’s professional success was mirrored by her philanthropic achievements. She was involved with numerous charitable causes, but, says her friend and estate attorney, Chuck Tigerman, she had a special affection for Los Angeles Jewish Health.“Rosalyn was a devout agnostic, but she was culturally very Jewish, and proudly so. She lived for a time at Fountainview at Eisenberg Village, and later in her life, as her health deteriorated, she moved to the Joyce Eisenberg-Keefer Medical Center for skilled nursing assistance. She had the resources to go anywhere, but she chose LAJH,” Tigerman said.Following Heyman’s death, LAJH staff commissioned the sculpture in her honor, selecting Bickart and fellow artist Tanya Ragir for the work.“Tanya had a tragic ending because she received an unexpected brain cancer diagnosis, so she wasn’t able to do much on the sculpture, but I discussed it with her and showed her my progress until her death,” Bickart says. “When it was finished, we decided to name the sculpture ‘Tanya’s Gift’ in her memory.”Given Heyman’s passion for education and learning, Bickart incorporated space for a small lending library at the base of the statue, allowing passersby to leave a book for others or to take one for themselves. With a wink to Heyman, Bickart also gave one of the books in the sculpture itself the title she had selected for her own memoir, Bad Things I Did With Good Results.“The sculpture is really beautiful, but more importantly, it captures the spirit of a truly special person,” Levinson says. “We were truly fortunate to have Rosalyn Heyman in our orbit.”To learn more about making bequests to Los Angeles Jewish Health, contact Aaron Levinson at (818) 757-4416 or [email protected].