CYNTHIA B. SHULMAN

1931 - 2021

SHULMAN, Cynthia B. Mother, Matriarch, and Community Leader Cynthia Brezniak Shulman left peacefully on the morning of September 23 in her home at Newbridge on the Charles. She had suffered a stroke in early August, a few days after celebrating her 90th birthday with friends and extended family. She leaves three children, four grandchildren, a great-grandchild, a sister, devoted nieces and nephews, countless friends, and a legacy of community service, leadership, and love. Cynthia was born on August 6, 1931, to Frank and Sonia Brezniak. Her parents were Jewish immigrants from the Russian Pale of Settlement who met in Boston after World War I. When she was six, Cynthia and her family moved from a second-floor apartment in Dorchester to a new home in Newton Center, just a short walk to Temple Emanuel. Both she and her parents became cherished lifelong members of that congregation. In the Spring of 1948 Cynthia graduated from Dana Hall High School. That summer she met Leon Shulman, a World War II veteran from Brookline, at a baseball game at Cleveland Circle. Four years later, after she completed her degree in Political Science at Smith College, Cynthia and Leon were married. The couple started their family in a rented apartment not far from the place they'd met. With their second child on the way, the family moved to a home in Newton Center, just down the street from where Cynthia's parents lived. Her three sons, Steve, Ken, and Billy, walked to the John Ward Elementary School just as she had. Like her parents, Cynthia made community and service into a way of life, beginning with a stint on the Ward School PTA and several seasons as a cub scout den mother. The qualities that distinguished her throughout her life—intelligence, commitment, and compassion—led her to myriad organizations and leadership positions. She served as both Campaign Chair and Chairperson at Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Boston, where she and her husband endowed the "Cynthia and Leon Shulman Acharai Leadership Program." She was President of the Brandeis University National Women's Committee and was later named a Brandeis University Trustee. At Hebrew Senior Life, a cause also dear to her parents, Cynthia served as President of the Women's Auxiliary, and was the first woman to serve as HSL chairperson. For Cynthia, leadership was about communication. She was a gifted writer and captivating public speaker. At meetings, whether formal or informal, she strove, and usually succeeded, to make participants and stakeholders feel seen and heard. She didn't shy away from strong opinions. Instead, she helped colleagues express those opinions in a manner that could best lead to consensus. Heated debate became respectful and productive discussion. Relationships grew stronger and deeper. Groups coalesced. And that collegial spirit spread through entire organizations. Above all, Cynthia was most proud of her family. The multigenerational Shulman clan enjoyed traveling together—to Alaska, Africa, Colorado, Guatemala, Israel, and most recently to Germany and the Netherlands—where Cynthia, at 86-years-old, insisted on scrambling up the steep narrow stepladder that led to the attic of the Anne Frank House. She was the center and soul of a loving community she helped create and nourish—a community that helped sustain her after Leon's death in 2011. And she enjoyed a rare bond with her grandchildren and their partners, and with her nieces, nephews, and their children and grandchildren. She leaves her son Steven and his wife Debra Yanofsky of Brookline, her son Ken and his companion Francesca Casella of Cambridge, and her son Billy and his wife Wendy of Needham. She leaves beloved grandchildren Harrison Shulman, his wife Emma, and their son Silas of Lincoln, Andrew Shulman of Los Angeles, Sophie Shulman of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and Simon Shulman of Boston. She also leaves a sister, Renee Glazier, of San Antonio, Texas; sister-in-law Ann Lord, wife of the late Eugene Brezniak, of Brookline, and scores of adoring friends including the fabled "Hannukah Group," a group of nine young couples who remained close friends for seven decades. Funeral services will be held outdoors at Temple Emanuel in Newton on Sunday, September 26 at 2:00 pm. After a private burial, the family will observe the first day of Shiva at the Temple, also outdoors. For the remaining shiva, the Shulman family will receive friends and relatives Monday and Tuesday 2 - 6 pm, and Wednesday 2 - 7:30 pm beneath a tent at the home of Steven Shulman and Debra Yanofsky in Brookline. In lieu of flowers and food, please consider a donation in Cynthia's honor at: The Cynthia and Leon Shulman Acharai Leadership Program at CJP or Hebrew Senior Life

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