Pearl Pninah Lipsky's Obituary
Pearl Pninah Lipsky (Age 92)
Beloved mother and grandmother passed away on September 29th, 2016 in Harrisburg, Pa.
Born in Somerville, Mass. on April 30, 1924, Pninah Lipsky (the Biblical Hebrew name ‘Pninah’ means ‘pearl’) came to Harrisburg in 1946 as Ben’s bride. Mrs. Lipsky has a rich background of learning. She has a B.A. from Boston University, a Master of Hebrew Letters from Boston Hebrew Teachers College and Herzliah Teachers Institute of New York and did graduate work at Dropsie College in Philadelphia. Later in life, she earned a Masters Degree from Penn State-Harrisburg in reading education. Pninah and Ben Lipsky were an outstanding team —Ben as principal and Pninah as teacher and office manager— as they inspired generations of students in Jewish education, Torah learning and ‘Yiddishkeit’ at the the Harrisburg Community Hebrew School for close to 40 years. Ben and Pninah also had a Chug Ivri (Hebrew speaking circle) in their home. They led summer youth pilgrimages to Israel, as well as adult study tours. After Pninah retired to Miami Beach and then Delray Beach Florida, she taught Yiddish and Hebrew at Florida International University. In her later years she was often referred to as the ‘Mrs. Sam Levinson’ (an American Jewish humorist) because she became a standup comedian herself. For many years she performed at numerous venues in South Florida. Her 50 -minute program kept seniors laughing with rapid-fire jokes and Yiddish humor that provided comic relief and entertainment. Pninah’s grandson, Joshua Lipsky, attributes his ability to easily speak in public to performing with his grandmother. He was encouraged to tell a few jokes, that as an 8 year old were all the more adorable to the audiences as he stood next to his grandmother. Pninah and Ben lost their daughter Sharona at the age of 15 in 1971, tragically killed in front of their home by a hit and run driver. Pninah is survived by her her son Sam Lipsky, of Potomac, Md and Seaside, California and his wife Gabriela Lipsky. She is also survived by her grandson Joshua Lipsky of Friendship Heights, Maryland and his wife, Leah Lipsky and her soon-to-be-born great grandchild. We would like to extend our gratitude to nurse Jody Smith, and to Rabbi Carl Choper of Harrisburg for his support and guidance to Pninah, particularly during the last three months. Funeral services and interment were in Florida.
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