MELLY RESNICOW

RESNICOW--Melly (nee Engelberg), 87, sister of Edward Engelberg, wife of the late Herbert Resnicow, mother of Norman, Eva, David, and Ruth and grandmother of Daniel, Joel, Natalie, Alexander, Nicholas, and Kyra, passed away on May 17 after leading a vigorous life. Born in Chemnitz, Germany, to Jakob and Paula Engelberg (nee Weber), Melly lived in Munich until age 13, when the family was forced to flee after her father was taken to Dachau. Her mother somehow negotiated his release and the family bribed its way into Switzerland with a painting. Settling in Brooklyn, Melly attended Erasmus High School. Although Melly did not speak English when she arrived, by her second year she won the top prize in the school's essay writing contest. At 15, upon her father's untimely death, she became the family breadwinner and worked as a diamond cutter for Harry Winston (where she sought to unionize the workers) while attending night school. She met Herbert Resnicow when he was on leave from Fort Dix and their romance continued via mail while he was stationed in Burma and India during the Second World War. They married in 1946, and as they built a family, lived first in a basement apartment in Brooklyn, then in a two-family house in Glen Oaks, and finally, a home in East Williston. For the next two decades, Melly focused on her family--placing an emphasis on education, the arts, and civic engagement-- also had a wide circle of friends. As her children got older Melly started taking college courses, earning a library and then a teaching degree. She taught English at Northport High School for 20 years. After retiring, Melly became a docent at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York. Melly was smart, tough, and determined. She loved cooking, gardening, music, books, art, and above all her family. Donations in her honor can be made to HIAS: The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society and The Museum of Jewish Heritage.