John Kugler
January 5, 1953 ~ November 25, 2025 (72 years old)
John Kugler Obituary
John Kugler of Burlington City passed away Tuesday November 25, 2025 at Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Camden, NJ at the age of 72. Born in Philadelphia, John was a longtime resident of Burlington. He was a high school special education teacher for Delran High School starting in 1975, the school’s first year of existence until his retirement in 2013. While teaching, he was the varsity field hockey coach and the assistant wrestling coach. He was also inducted into the South Jersey Coaching Hall of Fame for Field Hockey. He was a former officer of the Delran Education Association and a member of the Burlington County Retired Educators Association. In his spare time he was active in Burlington City youth sports. John was predeceased by his father Otto Kugler, his step father Joe Samoni and his brother Michael Kugler. He is survived by his wife, Maryann (nee Pennise) Kugler, his sons and daughters in law; John and Rochelle, Justin and Bernadette and Tim and Katelyn and his grandchildren; Michael, Samuel, Otto and Molly. He is also survived by his mother Irene Samoni, his brothers and sister; Tom, Joe, Gerry, Paul, Tim and Irene as well as several nieces, other family members and friends. Viewings for John will be held Thursday, December 4th from 6-8pm and Friday, December 5th from 9:30-10:30am at the Page Funeral Home, 302 E. Union St., Burlington. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 11am Friday in St. Paul R.C. Church, 223 E. Union St., Burlington. Interment will be held privately. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Parkinson’s Council, 520 Carpenter Lane-Com, Philadelphia, PA 19119. or you may visit the website at www.theparkinsoncouncil.org. The gift of prayer would also be greatly appreciated by his family.
Dr. David A. Shafritz (October 5, 1940 – October 17, 2025)
Dr. David A. Shafritz was born on October 5, 1940 in Northeast Philadelphia. He graduated from Central High School in 1958 and then attended the University of Pennsylvania on an academic scholarship. While a student there, he majored in chemistry and played on the Lightweight football team. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts with Honors in 1962, he remained at the University of Pennsylvania for medical school, graduating in 1966. While in medical school, he met the girl of his dreams, Sharon Klemow, and they married on August 16, 1964.
Upon graduating from medical school, Dr. Shafritz and his wife moved to Silver Spring, MD so that he could start a research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health. From 1968 to 1971, Dr. Shafritz served as a surgeon in the United States Army Medical Corps. He then took an academic position at Harvard University. In 1973, he was recruited by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where he served on the faculty as a Professor in the Departments of Medicine, Cell Biology, and Pathology, including as emeritus, for over 50 years. He settled with his family in Larchmont, NY, where they became active and supportive members of the congregation at The Westchester Jewish Center.
Dr. Shafritz was a talented researcher and prolific author of over 150 scientific papers, as well as being an editor of a medical textbook on liver disease. Dr. Shafritz’s research examined the liver disease mechanisms, including methods for liver regeneration in diseases such as hepatitis. While at Einstein, Dr. Shafritz earned the title of Herman Lopata Professor of Liver Disease Research - an endowed professorship - and served as the Director of the Marion Bessin Liver Research Center for 28 years. In this role, he mentored countless medical students, residents, fellows, and graduate students, many of whom went on to have preeminent careers in the field.
Dr. Shafritz and family traveled the world extensively but returned every year to Hawaii and Israel. For over 45 years, Dr. Shafritz was a Visiting Scientist at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, collaborating with the country’s most notable researchers.
Dr. Shafritz is survived by his wife of 61 years, Sharon Klemow Shafritz, sons Dr. Adam (Megan) and Dr. Keith (Donna), grandchildren Emily, Justin, Matthew, and Riley, sister Sofia Winkler, cherished sisters- and brothers-in-law, and beloved nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his brother, Mitchell, and his son, Gregory.
Donations in Dr. Shafritz’s honor can be made to The Weizmann Institute of Science or to the Marion Bessin Liver Research Center at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
Herbert J. Malamut, of Marlton, NJ, died June 23, 2025, at his residence. He was 70 years old.
Herb is survived by his wife, Myra Lewinter Malamut; his children, Liza Malamut and Dennis (Michele) Malamut; his father, David Malamut; and his siblings, Shari (Allen) Samuels and Stuart (Tracey) Malamut. Herb was pre-deceased by his mother, Marcella Malamut.
Relatives and friends are invited Sunday, June 29, 2025, beginning 10:15 am to Congregation Adath Emanu-El, 205 Elbo Lane, Mt. Laurel, NJ, where funeral services will begin promptly at 11:00 am. Interment will follow at Montefiore Cemetery in Jenkintown, PA.
Shiva will take place following the interment, with Sunday minyan at 6:00 PM, Monday and Tuesday 6:30-8:30 PM with Minyan at 7:00 PM, all at Adath Emanu-El. If you would like to bring something for shiva, please bring it to the synagogue; please do not bring anything to the home.
In memory of Herb, contributions may be made to a health-related charity, a hunger-relief organization, or to Congregation Adath Emanu-El.
Herb Malamut was perfectly content working as Adath Emanu-El’s musical accompanist— until a dream challenged him to do more.
“It was a bizarre dream,” admitted Malamut, 59. “I was attending a concert and the conductor announced that the composer was in the audience.” The dream audience cheered enthusiastically for him.
“It just stuck with me,” he added.
If he were to start composing music, he realized, it wouldn’t be the first time that the Philadelphia native followed a dream. When he turned 50, after all, Malamut left the family heating and air conditioning business to return to the study of music, his original pursuit until derailed by voice issues. So two years ago, Malamut—who had never before composed music—started writing down new choral arrangements of sacred Jewish texts.
The first was “Shalom Rav,” a mellow and sweet version of the benediction for peace. Unsure of what others would think of it, he took a chance nonetheless and played it for Adath’s Cantor Sandra Messinger. He was relieved when she, Rabbi Ben David and the congregation loved it—so much so that it has become a regular part of Shabbat services and was the choir’s chosen song in last year’s Delaware Valley Jewish Choral Festival.
“Mi Sheberach,” a prayer for healing, was next. After that, Malamut was unstoppable. In the past few months, he has written enough arrangements to fill an entire Shabbat Service, from “Hinei Mah Tov” to “Yigdal.” The congregation’s first Shabbat Shira, featuring 10 of his arrangements, drew a large crowd on Jan. 30. And his latest piece, “Etz Chiam,” will be performed by 10 choruses at this year’s Choral Festival.
As Malamut explained it, he aims to create music that is uplifting, inspirational and accessible to all levels of singers. The tunes reflect a wide variety of genres.
In a sense, Malamut’s life has led up to this, only with some obstacles along the way. As a child in Philadelphia, his favorite part of Hebrew School was playing piano. “I was the designated player of the ‘Hatikvah’ and ‘Adon Olam,’” he said.
At West Chester University, he was a promising opera singer. With his interest in Judaism, it wasn’t hard for a professor to recruit him to also enroll in Gratz’s cantorial program.
Malamut was two-thirds through his studies when he started developing vocal problems. To his frustration, his voice was unpredictable and inconsistent. (Years later, the problems would be attributed to asthma.) Thinking these issues were career ending, he went into the family business.
But years later, with his wife Myra, a professional flutist and music professor, encouraging him, Malamut left HVAC to get back into the music biz. The plan was to finish where he left off. But when the old voice demons returned, he put the focus solely on piano. He has been on the job at Adath for seven years.
The dream visited him some two years ago. Although at first confusing, it dawned on Malamut that composing music wasn’t such a stretch. As a jazz pianist, he regularly improvises melodies. Also, during meditations in Adath’s service, he whips up original music to fit the mood.
Malamut is not sure where he is going with his compositions.
“It’s just a kick to see the choir members and congregation enjoying it,” he said.
Rabbi Andrew Israel Bossov
November 3, 1959 – July 27, 2025
IN THE CARE OF
Weinstein & Piser Funeral Home
Rabbi Andrew Israel Bossov, 65, of Chicago and Wilmette, passed away on July 27, 2025. He was the beloved father of Liz Rampersad (Jodi) and Avra Bossov Ward (Sean); brother of Wayne Bossov (Becky), Adam Bossov, and Michael Bossov (z”l); son of Bernice (z”l) and Bernard Bossov (z”l); nephew of Edith Maltz (z”l); mother of his children Nancy Bossov (née Durmaskin); cousin to many; and Rabbi to even more.
After a brief but tough battle with cancer he died peacefully at home with both of his daughters at his side. He was passionate about music (especially musicals), plants & gardening, and tikkun olam (repairing the world); he saw the humanity in every person with whom he interacted. His sense of humor, pride for his family and friends’ successes, and general joi de vivre will be sorely missed.
Andy attended New Trier High School (1977), Northwestern University (1981), and the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion – New York campus (1992). As a rabbi, he served the pulpits of Congregation Kol Ami (White Plains, NY), Baltimore Hebrew Congregation (Baltimore, MD), Temple Emanu-El (Sarasota, FL), and Adath Emanu-El (Mt. Laurel, NJ); then as Activities Director of Westchester Jewish Community Services Senior Programs (Mt. Vernon, NY). When he moved back to Chicago in 2016 to help take care of his parents, he was a piano teacher and rabbi to many senior programs and congregations. He received his honorary doctorate from HUC-JIR in May 2017.
Andy learned to play piano at age 4, taught by his father. Music continued to guide him through musical theater, his rabbinate, and his family life, often playing piano and singing at family functions. He even walked into Liz & Jodi’s wedding reception with “Piano Man” playing. His musical career lives on in the continued shows of various performance partners, cabaret groups, and piano students.
The funeral service (followed by shiva until 8 PM CST) will be held on Wednesday, July 30, 2025 at 3 PM CST at Weinstein & Piser Funeral Home, 111 Skokie Blvd, Wilmette, IL 60091. The funeral service will be live streamed here at the link below. Dress code is casual, and (bright) colors are encouraged. Shiva will also be held on Thursday, July 31 from 3-8 PM CST at the same location.
In his honor we ask that you listen to a song or an album that reminds you of how beautiful this world can be. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois.
“Let the moment go – don't forget it for a moment, though. Just remembering you’ve had an ‘and’ when you’re back to ‘or’ makes the ‘or’ mean more than it did before.” Stephen Sondheim
A New Jersey pastor is giving her rabbi friend the greatest Christmas/Hanukkah gift ever – a healthy kidney.
Rabbi Andrew Bossov, 47, of Cherry Hill, has been on dialysis since July due to failing kidneys. He’d been looking for someone to donate a new one, but none of his relatives were a match.
The Reform rabbi happened to mention his plight at an interfaith clergy meeting in February while chatting with the Rev. Karen Onesti, 49, a minister in the United Methodist Church. She immediately offered one of hers.
“I couldn’t believe it – it was just like that,” said Bossov. “I have family members who knew about it but didn’t say, ‘I’ll give you one of mine.’ I think I kind of went numb.”
“We live long and our kidneys are very healthy in our family,” said Onesti, of Masonville United Methodist Church in Mount Laurel, on a visit to the rabbi during his dialysis.
“I care about him. When I said, ‘I’ll give you one of mine,’ I figured it was a half-decent offer.”
Knowing that a much-loved family member of her own died waiting for an organ transplant – and learning that Bossov’s elderly parents already lost a son 20 years ago – helped reinforce the decision.
And Onesti had watched her own son successfully battle cancer.
But there were lots of hurdles along the way. Onesti still had to convince her family, particularly her husband and a fearful daughter, 26.
“She was concerned. She said, ‘What else are you going to give away?’ ” recalled the sprightly, energetic pastor. “She’s come around. She hopes and prays Rabbi Bossov will be healthy.”
Onesti had to go through 10 months of medical testing to ensure the transplant would work. It finally got the thumbs-up, and the pair will undergo surgery next month.
The fact that a pastor is donating an organ to a rabbi has spurred some predictable jokes. After one acquaintance quipped that his new kidney will have great interfaith dialogue, Bossov pointed out that Onesti was a classics major in college and speaks Hebrew – so the kidney should feel right at home.
“Religion gets blamed for so much, but how about when it brings people together, which it does most of the time?” said Bossov, the spiritual leader of Adath Emanu-El in Mount Laurel.
Bossov’s mother, too old to donate a kidney herself, recently got a chance to thank her son’s savior personally.
“She said, ‘I don’t know how to thank you that you may be able to save my son,’ ” said Onesti. “I told her I almost lost a son and I know how you feel. I said, ‘You’re a believing woman and I want you to keep praying.’ She said, ‘I have been, and I will.’ “
Richard Rubinstein
Richard Rubinstein, of Mt. Laurel, NJ, died August 17, 2025 in Voorhees, NJ. He was 92 years.
Richard served at the former accompanist at Adath Emanu-El for close to 40 years. He was the husband of Robbie, z"l, father of Caryn Rubinstein, Ken (Vanessa) Rubinstein and Debra (Rick) Vickers; grandfather of Stephanie (Ryan) Rubinstein, Abigail Vickers and Michael Rubinstein z"l.
Relatives and friends are invited Thursday, August 21, 2025 beginning 12:00 noon to Cong. Adath Emanu-El, 205 Elbo Lane, Mt. Laurel, NJ where funeral services will begin promptly at 12:30 pm.
Interment will follow at Locustwood Memorial Park in Cherry Hill, NJ.
RICHARD RUBINSTEIN… has served for 40 years as the synagogue organist/keyboardist.
Adath Emanu-El will hold a special Shabbat service Friday, May 14, 8 p.m., as it celebrates and commemorates Richard Rubinstein and his 40 years as the synagogue’s organist and keyboardist. The public is welcome.
The tribute will include music that Rubinstein composed, along with special prayers and songs chosen for this occasion. The Mount Laurel resident, who made the move along with the synagogue from Willingboro, will perform several musical numbers and share his insights about each piece that he plays.
Current members of the Adath Emanu-El Choir, along with choir alumni, will take part in the festivities as friends, family and congregants, as well as community members, share in the event. The evening will conclude with a lavish Oneg and a few surprises.
The tribute, which is free to all, will be a fitting one for Rubinstein. His musical career began at age five, when the Brooklyn native started studying piano and keyboard harmony with a professor at New York University.
Throughout his college career and a two-year stint in the Army, Rubinstein played in several large dance bands and small combos, and accompanied various vocalists and instrumentalists.
He met his wife, Robbie, while both were attending The Ohio State University. The couple moved back to New York and relocated to the Delaware Valley when Rubinstein got a job with a pharmaceutical company in the region. Eventually, the young family settled in Willingboro, also home to then-Temple Emanu-El.
For the past 40 years, Rubinstein has been the organist/keyboardist at Adath Emanu-El and has accompanied various services for the Sabbath, High Holy Days, Festivals and numerous other religious and congregational functions. He has composed original songs for Purim and Chanukah as well as for an annual synagogue highlight, Shabbat Shira (Sabbath of Song).
Rubinstein has appeared as a guest soloist with the Wind Symphony of South Jersey and also leads “The Burning Bush,” a Klezmer band that has performed at Philadelphia venues and the Perkins Center for the Arts in Moorestown, as well as at Adath Emanu-El. He served as director of the congregation’s choir and instrumental ensemble for a number of years.
Adath Emanu-El is located at 205 Elbo Lane, Mount Laurel. For more information, call the office at 608-1200.
Cantor Stanley Cohen
August 24, 1928 — September 7, 2025
Stanley Wolf Cohen
Cantor Stanley Cohen passed away peacefully in his sleep on the morning of September 7, 2025, at 97 years old; he was blessed to celebrate his birthday on August 24, 2025, with so many of his loved ones. His remarkable persistence, perseverance, and patience will be missed by all who knew and loved him. Stanley was preceded in death by his passionate wife, Shirley (Blackman) Cohen, and by his caring daughter, Sheri (Cohen) Rosengarten. He was preceded in death as well by his 7 siblings, especially his dearest sisters Edith (Harry) Segal and Stella (Jerry) Frank. Stanley’s legacies of devotion and loyalty live on through his beautiful family, including his dedicated son, David (Pamella) Cohen; his prized grandchildren, Jessica (Craig) Brimmer, Jacqueline McLaughlin, Alexis (Chris) Cohen, Jonathan Cohen, and Jarred Cohen; his spirited great-granddaughters, Clara-Rose, Kaylee, and Livia; and his many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews, his cousins, and all of their beautiful children. Stanley Cohen was a patriarch in the truest sense of the word. He was known to his closest family as a gentle lion; and his kindness, humor, wit, and conviction in all he did will be greatly missed. His memory will be cherished by the many family and friends who were blessed to know his tremendous dedication, vocal talent, and persistent love.
Relatives and friends are invited to Stanley’s graveside service, which will take place on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, at 2:00 PM in the Mausoleum at Roosevelt Memorial Park, 2701 Old Lincoln Highway Trevose, PA 19053.
Shiva will be observed at the home of David and Pamella Cohen on Wednesday following the service through 7:30 PM, Thursday, 9/11 from 5:00-8:00 PM, and Friday, 9/12 from 1:00-4:00 PM.
Contributions in Stanley’s memory may be made to any one of the causes that were most important to him in the final years of his life: the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the American Heart Association, or Autism Speaks.
Cantor Stanley Cohen with his wife Shirley. (Courtesy of the Cohen family)
Stanley Wolf Cohen, a Philadelphia cantor, hospice chaplain and longtime accountant who taught more than 300 boys their bar mitzvah portions with patience and care, died on Sept. 7 at 97.
Many of those boys he reached out to were developmentally disabled. “He got them to do 10 lines or more,” his son David Cohen said. “I remember several parents hugging my dad — they were so proud. They never thought their son could do it.” His willingness to adapt lessons and patiently guide each student gave boys a chance to succeed at the bimah.
Families often said he gave their sons confidence they carried long after the bar mitzvah.
Cohen grew up during the Depression as the youngest of eight children on a Bucks County farm in Pipersville. He often recalled the one-room schoolhouse he attended and the sting of antisemitic taunts from classmates. His father advised him to answer back with a slur common for the Pennsylvania Dutch in the area.
He loved two things, David Cohen said: “He was spiritual and he also liked numbers.” He worked as an accountant for most of his life, eventually earning his CPA at about 50. Along the way, he completed his bachelor’s degree at Temple University in 1965, attending at night for roughly 11 years while raising a family. He began but did not finish a master’s program in industrial psychology, which briefly led him into marketing and product development at Merck & Co. Inc., rather than his usual accounting work.
His posts included Lee & Associates, comptroller roles at the University of Pennsylvania’s physics department and the Jewish Community Centers, first the Raymond and Miriam Klein Branch and then the main Center City branch. By the mid-1980s, he shifted to private practice while pursuing his religious calling, serving many loyal clients for decades.
Cohen’s voice carried him from choirs to the pulpit. In his younger years, he sang sacred music in churches and synagogues, later training to become a cantor with Cantor Herman Bornstein, a leading figure in Philadelphia who influenced a generation of cantors. “He would sing anywhere,” David Cohen said. In his late 40s and early 50s, he moved formally into cantorial work, first in a synagogue choir and then as a cantor.
He served at synagogues in Philadelphia and later at Temple Emanu-El, once a synagogue in Willingboro, New Jersey, led by Rabbi Richard A. Levine. His approach to the pulpit was reverent and disciplined. “He looked at singing and being a cantor like he was basically speaking to God — praying to God for the congregation,” David Cohen said.
Around 1970, Cohen began tutoring boys for their bar mitzvahs, a practice that continued for about 16 years. He recorded portions, taught the cantillation signs and paced the work with unusual calm, often winning over reluctant students with humor and encouragement. Parents who had been told their sons could never manage a portion were astonished when he helped them master it.
Music filled his family’s life. His granddaughter, Jessica L. Brimmer, remembered listening in the car to training tapes of Cantor Bornstein and her grandfather singing back and forth. “I found them really comforting,” she said. She remembered him singing opera and show tunes — “Old Man River” among them — even while driving. Brimmer said that visiting him on the bimah of a Reform synagogue felt special: “He’d be in a really fancy kittel, his tallis had gold embroidery, and he’d have a hat on over his yarmulke. I described it as feeling like we were part of a royal family.”
After winding down from the cantor role in the mid-1990s, Cohen trained and served as a nonsectarian hospice chaplain with VITAS Healthcare for about 12 years. The work suited his temperament and sense of purpose. “It gave him an opportunity to provide comfort to people,” David Cohen said. He preferred the direct mission of visiting patients and families to what he perceived as synagogue politics. He considered the role a mitzvah, a sacred obligation, and found meaning in sitting quietly with patients, listening more than he spoke.
Family described him as calm and steady. “My mother, [Shirley (Blackman) Cohen], called him a ‘gentle lion,’” his son said. He kept driving until August of last year and remained mentally sharp. “Even at the end,” Brimmer said, “we were telling family stories and he’d start smiling and say, ‘You’re changing the story.’ He was listening to everything.” On Aug. 24, the family gathered — 21 people in his hospice room — to mark his 97th birthday. His daughter Sheri (Cohen) Rosengarten had died on Aug. 16.
Cohen’s religious compass led him to officiate family weddings and funerals, even when custom for a kohen might discourage certain rites. For him, presence and comfort came first. Brimmer said, “A lot of clergymen follow the letter of the Torah. He was led by a spiritual compass and an ethical compass.”
“He married together a couple of his passions,” David Cohen said. “He loved to sing, and he loved to help people.”
