Yelena Livshits

Livshits, Yelena, of Brookline, MA, passed away on January 27, 2022. Devoted and loving mother of Dr. Marina Livshits and her husband Dr. Michael Hiam. Proud and cherished grandmother of Hannah, Eliana, and Daniel Hiam. Doting and caring older sister of Vladimir Livshits. A loving aunt to the late Lilia Livshits and a great aunt to Anna, Evgenia, and Yuri.  Born in 1933 in Moscow, Russia, to the late Ruvim and Esfir Livshits, Yelena has led an enormously eventful, fulfilled, and meaningful life, carrying a longtime family legacy of public service, social justice, and tikkum olam. Yelena spent most of her childhood and youth surviving extreme adversity- the physical and emotional trauma of the World War II, the post war deprivation, the Stalinist regime and the ever- growing government-sponsored antisemitism. Yet she blossomed into a most loving, compassionate and strong human being, completely void of bitterness, who became the epitome of joy and wonder for anyone who knew her. Yelena graduated from the Moscow State Pedagogical University in 1955 and went on to have a distinguished career as a speech and language pathologist working with children and adults with traumatic brain injury, developmental disorders, cerebral palsy, stuttering, and other conditions. In addition to working at public hospitals and clinics, Yelena developed a thriving private practice and pursued her passion for writing through creating and publishing wonderful children’s stories. At the height of her career and adult life, for the sake of her daughter and future grandchildren, Yelena made a decision to leave Russia and undertook a life-changing and a risky journey to the United States. A fiercely and yet quietly independent woman, called by many who knew her an ultimate feminist, Yelena had overcome the many challenges of resettlement and became a proud and patriotic citizen of this country. She provided expert child care, volunteered with severely disabled children, and taught Russian language for a number of years. Yelena was passionate about literature, film, theater, and music and she shared her knowledge and appreciation of the arts with those she loved and across the miles. In her new country, she was able to openly live as a Jewish woman, and she transferred her love for Israel, Jewish music and Jewish stories to her family. Having most of her extended family perish in the Holocaust, Yelena made her friends her family while she lived in Russia and upon her immigration. She passed her belief in the power of human connection onto her offspring and she exemplified loyalty and generosity of spirit.

Yelena felt that her crown achievement were her three grandchildren to whom she devoted herself tirelessly and lovingly. In her usual manner, when her health condition was on a severe decline, she persevered in a way that defied medical facts. Her talent, thirst for life, her sense of purpose, and her unending love for her family will forever live in all of them and their offspring. May her memory be a blessing for eternity.

Graveside service at Puritan Cemetery, 776 Baker St., West Roxbury, MA on Friday, January 28, 2022 at 3 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations in Yelena’s memory may be made to Cerebral Palsy Foundation, by clicking here