HILLEL STAVIS

Dear Donna and family, my sincere condolences to you on your loss. hill welcomed me warmly to the square when i was transferred to New England in 1978. his innovative spirit and humanity were inspirational. may his memory be a blessing to you all.

When I think of Hillel I am reminded first of his kindness and generosity to me and my family. I'm reminded of his passion for justice; and spirited political discussions (particularly with my husband Bob) at Donna and Hillel's lovely home in Cambridge MA. I worked at Wordsworth from 1995 to '98, often with our daughter Emily in tow (nestled in the Children's section, as she relates below in her moving tribute). I loved my time there. Many moves have interrupted the flow of our...

I had the good fortune to know Hillel and Donna as a child, as our families were friends and my mother worked at WordsWorth. Their intelligence and kindness and the way I felt in their (warm, comfortable, vivid) home were formative influences me and I realize now I have been trying to emulate that feeling throughout my own adulthood. I also spent countless hours in the children's section at WordsWorth - especially devouring Tintin comic books - and it was a very happy place for me. Donna...

Dear Donna and Family, We are very saddened to hear of your loss. Donna, as you know, Hillel changed our lives and destiny when he hired us to work at WordsWorth. We have such good memories of our time working there. We learned so much from Hillel, and that experience was always a strong thread that ran through our 35 years of running BookCourt. Our hearts are with you and your family. We hope knowing the positive impact that Hillel made on so many, many lives will be a comfort and blessing...

I met Hillel in high school when my friend Amiel introduced us. Hillel seemed more mature than my peers. He was smart and concerned about others. I thought he'd eventually become a professor or someone involved with helping people. When I was in college I made several trips to visit him at McGill. He showed me some of the special places he'd discovered in Montreal, which, probably because of his "tours", became my favorite city. I regret I lost contact with him when I moved to western...

While it has been years since I had contact with Hillel and Donna, I will never forget the wonderful conversations I had with them as one of Wordsworth's vendors, but more importantly as a friend. Also, my late wife, Anne, worked for Wordworth for a number of years and she ranked her experience and friendships formed at that extraordinary store as one of her best. RIP, Hillel, your life was full and your impact from your Peace Corps years as well as being a major figure in the world of...

Dear Myles, Donna, Lily and Family, I´m so deeply sorry for your loss. Wishing you much solace and healing during this most difficult time. May Hillel´s memory be a blessing. With love, Cathy Amsterdam

Hillel was a dear friend- we attended Brookline High together- i sat behind him at Latin class - We remained fast friends- He was a wonderful man- who knew world history, and of course literature, films and politics. He was A formidable debater in high school and remained a force to be reckined with in any argument-especially when it came to defending Israel. His politics were a mix of progressive concerns for human rights ( he was involved with the civil rights struggle in the South) and...

When I first moved to Brookline for 7th grade Hillel was one of the first people to welcome me. We were good friends. We would spend time at his house making up our own (sometimes racy) radio shows. I visited him at McGill. A mensch.