Death Announcements
Stanley Kleckner – 1989-1993, 2005-2009 Maccabiah Games, 1995, 2007 Pan Am Games – passed away on May 31, 2018. He was an avid sports fan and member of multiple Masters + Grand Masters Tennis Teams. He is survived by his three daughters, grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.
Roy Chernock – 1973-1977 Maccabiah Games – passed away on September 4, 2018. He was an avid golfer and served as Head Track and Field Coach for the Maccabiah Games. He was named to the Oceanside High School Hall of Fame, C.W. Post College Hall of Fame, as well as the New York University and William & Mary Hall of Fames.
Lorraine Abramson – 1973 Maccabiah Games – passed away on September 18, 2018. She was a championship runner winning both a silver and bronze medal at the 1973 Maccabiah Games, was named “Woman Athlete of the Year in South African in 1968 and wrote a memoir entitled My Race: A Jewish Girl Growing Up Under Apartheid in South Africa. Her commitment to her family and community were an inspiration to all.
Dan Winters – 1993, 2009-2013 Maccabiah Games, 2007-2011 Pan American Maccabi Games – passed away on October 30, 2018. Dan is survived by his wife and three kids. His teammates refer to him as a leader, teammate, mentor, and most of all great man. He will be greatly missed.
Arnold “Arnie” Bengis – Maccabi USA Board 2016-2020 – passed away in November of 2018.
Robert “Bob” Levy – 1981 Maccabiah Games – passed away on November 7, 2018. Bob was a previous Tennis Chair and long-time supporter of Maccabi USA. He is survived by his wife and five children. He countless awards over the years and was inducted into numerous Halls of Fames. He served as chairman of PHL Sports (then the Philadelphia Sports Congress) from 1995 to 2009 and oversaw a number of successes for the city.
Alice Bukantz – mother of Jeff Bukantz, 1981-1989, 1993 Maccabiah Games, 2015 Pan Am Games, 2015 European Maccabi Games, Maccabi USA President – passed away on February 1, 2019. Alice was a Holocaust survivor who emigrated to the United States. She is survived by her son Jeff, grandchildren Stephanie and Michael, brother Robert Ellyn, nieces Pamela Muir and Nancy Bokovza, and nephews Bruce and Keith Raphael.
Dr. Rela Mintz Geffen – mother of former Maccabi USA Program Director, Ami Monson – passed away on February 3, 2019. Rela was one of the pioneers in the Jewish communal service field. She is survived by her sister and brother-in-law Lisa and Jimmy Schlesinger; sons, Uri and Ami Monson; five grandchildren and two daughters-in-law.