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SOREL BERMAN Obituary

BERMAN, Sorel Faith Career English Teacher, 86, died suddenly Tuesday, January 21. A native of Pittsburgh, PA, and a graduate of Chatham University, Sorel taught at her own alma mater, Taylor Allderdice High School, before taking the post in the English Department of Brookline High School where she taught for over 40 years, in addition to sabbatical teaching posts in Israel and Oxford, UK. She received a Master's degree from the Bread Loaf School of English in Vermont. She also held an M.Ed. from Harvard's Graduate School of Education and was a devotee of Harvard's Center for Life Long Learning--a fitting reflection of her love of learning. Her lifelong concentration on her student's achievements has resulted in a notable list of professionals in law, medicine, education, and business. She is remembered by many as a devoted sister, sister-in-law, friend, teacher, and lover of the arts. Her life partner, Jerry Zoffer, predeceased her by a year. She leaves her brother Hal Z Berman and his wife Ying Becker, a niece, Heather Berman, and many friends. All donations should be made to Central Reform Temple of Boston, 15 Newbury Street, Boston 02116. A Chapel Service will be held at Stanetsky Memorial Chapel, 475 Washington Street, CANTON, on Sunday, January 26 at 11:00 am. Burial to follow at Sharon Memorial Park. (Arrangement made by Levine Chapels.) Contact Levine Chapels for additional details. Levine Chapels, Brookline 617-277-8300 www.levinechapels.com

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Boston Globe from Jan. 23 to Jan. 24, 2025.

Memories and Condolences
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2 Entries

Joanna Honig

July 14, 2025

In January of 1989, I was fortunate enough to learn from Sorel, an exceptional person, teacher, and friend. Back then, I was getting my Masters in Education from Harvard. We were placed in a school but had to find a mentor teacher ourselves. It was a bit tense, especially because another teacher in my program really wanted to work with Sorel. She was my clear favorite. I am not sure why, but Sorel agreed to work with me. Among the many things learned from Sorel, I learned how to continually challenge myself and my students intellectually, how to expose students to the arts, and how to remain cool and level-headed even when faced with the unpredictability of teenage angst. My grandmother was concerned about me when I was a first year teacher. She made an emergency call to Sorel to ask her to help me, which is something Sorel and I still laughed about the last time I spoke to her. Sorel became close with my family, came to my wedding, and stayed in touch with me all these years. I had no idea she passed away. I found this today, after I tried to call her at home. She and I had planned to get together this summer. I can hear Sorel saying to me, "Listen Honey..." before responding to something I said or advice I asked for. I will miss Sorel dearly. May Sorel's memory be a blessing for all her family and friends.

Sherri Odusanya

March 1, 2025

Awe bless her she was my English teacher, I always admired her... bless ger

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26

Service

11:00 a.m.

Stanetsky Memorial Chapel

475 Washington Street, CANTON, MA

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Stanetsky Memorial Chapel - Brookline

1668 Beacon Street, Brookline, MA 02445

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