To the editors:

 

Dede Whitsit, a founding member of the Book Circle, has left us. But today’s meeting of ours group made it clear that if Dede is no longer with us in body, she is a lasting presence among us in spirit. 

It was Dede who always made sure we got the full load of facts on the matters our books brought to our attention. And it was Dede who always reminded us that, although we were reading stories, there was a real world where those tales came from. Her hunger for knowledge and her capacity to clarify complex ideas were immeasurably valuable to us as we navigated debates and discussion on literature about and by Jews. 

While her cheerful smile and rousing humor will no longer greet us when we meet, we will always hear her voice loud and clear, sounding its message of hope for a better, kinder world. Thank you, Dede.

 

Fondly,

Liz Adams, Miriam Gabriel, Adrianne Greenberg, Nina Neimark, Susan Rosenstreich, Madelyn Rothman, Irma Strimban.