C. Isaac Camber's Obituary
C. Isaac Camber, Ph.D. 1924-2016
Cecil Isaac Camber, son of Bernard Camber and Rachel Kagan Camber died on July 23rd at his home in Miami Beach, surrounded by his loving family. He is survived by his loving wife, Diane Woolfe Camber; devoted children Oren, Rachel (Robert) Howard, and Michael (Sabina Weitzman); and grandchildren Ben Camber, Clara Camber, Daniel Camber, Max Howard and Jacob Howard.
Born in London, Isaac was raised in Kovno (Kaunas) Lithuania. In 1937 his family moved to Palestine where he attended the Hebrew Reali School in Haifa.
While a high school student at the Reali he was recruited and commissioned by Yaakov Dori, later the first Chief of the Israel Defense Forces, into the underground jewish defense force (Haganah). Upon graduation, he attended Technion University in Haifa, and continued service with Haganah.
Isaac served in the Jewish Brigade of the British Army during World War II. After the war, he participated in efforts to resettle holocaust survivors arriving in Israel despite the British prohibition on Jewish immigration. In 1946 Isaac traveled to the World Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland with Moshe Dayan and witnessed the historic vote to create the State of Israel.
He left Israel to continue his studies at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, but returned in 1948 to serve in the IDF during the War for Independence. During the war, he served first as an intelligence officer where his knowledge of five languages was useful. He then was assigned as second in command of a Spanish speaking unit.
After the war, he completed his bachelor’s degree at McGill University. Isaac came to the United States in 1951 and did post-graduate work at the University of Miami Marine School (now the Rosenstiel School). While in Miami, he met and married Diane Woolfe. He earned his doctorate in food science and technology at the University of Massachusetts.
Isaac worked for several US food companies, and he traveled on business throughout Latin America in the 1960s and 1970s. His entrepreneurial spirit led him to establish his own food companies in Louisiana and Venezuela, then a medical and scientific equipment distributorship in Miami. Throughout their many years together, Isaac and Diane shared a love for art, foreign travel, and gardening (with a first date at Fairchild Gardens). He thoroughly enjoyed meeting new people and was very interested in personal stories.
He will be remembered for his acute intellect, breadth of knowledge, his support of his wife’s career in the art world, as well as his commitment to the education and happiness of his children and grandchildren.
He would have celebrated his sixtieth wedding anniversary with Diane this August. Their love endures.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions in his memory be made to the Haifa Foundation Inc. for the Reali School Care of Barry Boxer, Esq. 1010 Northern Blvd. Ste 208, Great Neck, NY 11021, the Rosenstiel School of Marine Science at the University of Miami, or the Diane W. Camber Exhibition Fund for the Bass Museum of Art to The Miami Foundation, 40 NW 3rd Street, Suite 305, Miami, FL 33128.
Funeral Services will be held Tuesday, July 26, 2016 at noon at Temple Beth Shalom, 4144 Chase Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida 33140 with interment to follow.
Arrangments by Blasberg-Rubin-Zilbert Memorial Chapel 305-865-2353
What’s your fondest memory of C.?
What’s a lesson you learned from C.?
Share a story where C.'s kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with C. you’ll never forget.
How did C. make you smile?
