Beatrice Ezrol Levidow (1922 – 2024):
Pioneering women’s leadership
Bea was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1922 to Hyman Ezralowitz and Celia Hershkovitch, both immigrants from Poland. She was the second youngest of 8 children. She met Bill Levidow in 1939. They were married in 1943 while Bill had a 3-day leave from Navy basic training before shipping out to the Pacific. After his return they settled in Union and had three children: Les, Roger, and Nancy.
She encouraged all three to take advantage of all educational opportunities, starting with their elementary school’s instrumental music program. Likewise she encouraged them to attend an annual summer camp emphasizing classical music; and so they did.
In 1965 the family moved to Silver Spring, Maryland. Bea was very active in civic life with the League of Women Voters (both NJ and MD), the PTA, and the United Nations Association, along with supporting candidates for school board and other local offices. On the 20th anniversary of the UN’s founding in 1965, she organized a week-long series of commemorative events in Washington, D.C. resulting in an invitation to a formal White House reception with President Johnson.
Continuing her formal education, she got her B.A in Political Science from Rutgers University, and went on to study at Howard University Law School, publishing a paper in its Law Journal. She completed a J.D. (Law Degree) at Rutgers University in 1973.
After relocating back to Springfield NJ in 1974 she was appointed a Deputy Attorney General for Consumer Affairs for the State of New Jersey, where she used her legal, intellectual and humanitarian skills to protect consumer rights. She later went on to private practice in family law. She was admitted to practise law before the NJ District and Supreme Courts as well as the Supreme Court of the United States.
During the 1960s Bea and Bill became proficient in international folk dance. They took turns teaching dances at weekly sessions in the Washington DC area and then in northern New Jersey after their return. They were regular participants and teachers with the Summit Folk Dancers, Morristown Folk Dancers, and performed with the Garden State Folk Dancers through their mid-90s.
Bea and Bill regularly attended continuing education classes in multiple subjects at local colleges. They were avid participants in the Great Books discussion program for many years. They joined and led a Chavurah, a fellowship of Jewish people who met monthly for decades to discuss topics of Jewish life, religion and scholarship. Through all these activities, they built up a network of robust lifelong friendships.
As Bea’s dementia and physical capacities worsened from around 2020 onwards the family arranged for in-home care. Home health care workers Mary and Yvonne did a wonderful job keeping her safe and healthy, and Compassus Hospice provided many essential support services.
She was regarded warmly as “Aunt Bea” to several generations of nieces, nephews and assorted relatives. Bea remained alert and humorous nearly to the end in September. When it became more difficult to elicit some words, her children would plead: ‘Say something’. She duly replied, ‘Something.’
The family may be contacted via [email protected]