Anne Stern Berkovitz

1926 - 2020

June 14, 1926 - November 4, 2020 Anne Stern Berkovitz (née Anne-Marie Stern) died peacefully in her son's home on November 4th, 2020.

Anne had an extraordinary 94 years of life - born in 1926 in Berlin, she and her sister Elisabet (Lisel) and parents Reinhard and Suse Stern lived under the harsh Nazi regime until 1939, when Anne's parents made the difficult decision to send 12-year old Anne and 8-year old Lisel 'Into the Arms of Strangers' via the Kindertransport children's rescue program.

Thankfully, Reinhard and Suse escaped Germany and they were reunited in 1940. They traveled to the United States and eventually landed in California. Anne excelled academically at Beverly Hills High School and majored in Journalism at UCLA. She earned her Masters' at the Columbia University School of Journalism, and returned to L.A. as a Metro reporter at the Los Angeles Times-Mirror. In 1953, Anne married a young psychiatrist from Boston, Irving Berkovitz, and their family grew to include Karen, Glenn & Joel.

Anne & Irv enjoyed L.A.'s vibrant political and arts communities, and pursued an active family life in Los Angeles, the Bay Area, Yosemite and Sacramento. Anne found time to earn her law degree at UCLA, work full-time at KCRW, volunteer at the Getty Museum, participate in political campaigns, and spend countless hours with her grandchildren. After losing her beloved Irv in 2012, Anne was invited to live with their son and his family in Ojai.

Anne was a loving mother, sister, grandmother and aunt; a journalist, publicist, legal counselor, activist and philanthropist; and a stalwart participant with the progressive left. She was imbued with an enduring and strong belief system: the arts, activism, the power of the written word and a fierce commitment to a better world are all Anne's gifts to successive generations. She held onto a magical belief in the goodness of people and the potential for her loved ones to have joyous and meaningful lives.

Anne is missed by her children Karen, Glenn and Joel; their spouses Jane and Jeanette; her grandchildren Simone, Casey, Julia, Leila and Andrew; and many dear friends in her beloved community. An online memorial service will be announced. Contributions to honor Anne may be directed to the Anne Berkovitz Scholarship Fund at UCLA Gold Shield Alumnae https://giving.ucla.edu/goldshield, or to the progressive political cause of your choice.