Alan F. Benjamin Ph.D.

ALAN F. BENJAMIN, Ph.D.

Esse quam videri; "to be rather than to seem."

Alan F. Benjamin, Ph.D., a person who helped people grow through his work as an educator of college students and as a mental health professional, passed away peacefully on September 17, 2025. His impact left a large wave over all he helped.

As a teen he was a senior patrol leader of Boy Scout Troop 91, and selected to be in the order of the arrow. He worked two summers at Camp Miakonda.

He graduated High School in 3 years. Being a drummer was an ongoing theme for him. He was a drummer each year for the varsity marching band. He played the drums professionally for a brief period of time during his college years. For roughly six years he was a drummer in the "Seed & Feed Marching Abominable Band." Performances included Atlanta Hawks NBA games, and the 1988 Democratic National Convention. Alan loved music.

Alan lived in Israel for five of the six years following high school, starting when he was 16 years old. His usual work assignment was in the branch raising turkeys for meat or for turkey eggs. Alan's 1st year as a participant in a Habonim Workshop on Kibbutz Gesher Haziv (in the Western Galilee). 2nd year (after a year in Toledo) was a volunteer on the same kibbutz. This was also during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. 3rd-5th years was based on the same kibbutz as a "nispach" (attachment) while attending the University of Haifa as a regular student (not study abroad) and earning his BA in psychology (prior to starting this he spent a short time at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem attending their ulpan program to strengthen his academic Hebrew).

Also, during this 5th year, he volunteered to be one of the kibbutz's emissaries and travelled weekly to a town near Tel Aviv as a counselor for a group of Israeli "Scouts" who largely were of Iraqi descent.

Alan earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology (The University of North Carolina, at Chapel Hill), Master of Arts in Psychology (West Georgia College, now State University of West Georgia), Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (The University of Haifa, Israel), and attended the University of Toledo.

During Alan's career, he held University positions at The Pennsylvania State University, and University of North Carolina, at Chapel Hill, Elon College, Piedmont Community College (Extension Program of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro), Mercer University, in Atlanta, and Roxborro Community College.

Alan conducted significant fieldwork experience in Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles, between 1989-1994. Alan is the author of Jews of the Dutch Caribbean: Exploring Ethnic Identity on Curaçao, 2002. London and New York: Routledge. Alan presented his work throughout the U.S. and the Southern Caribbean.

Alan's academic work included formal project reports that studied grants made by major philanthropic organizations.

Alan provided mental health counseling services between 1978-1999. This included for crisis counseling for victims in Chapel Hill through the North Carolina Police department, and telephonic and face to face counseling services to the poor and neediest population through Fulton County Division of Mental Health, in Atlanta, Georgia.

Alan is survived by his brother, Steve Benjamin (Kathy); and nephew, Jacob.

A memorial luncheon will at 12:00 p.m., at Temple Shomer Emunim, on Friday, September 26, 2025.

Funeral services will be private.

If you want to make a donation in Alan's memory, please consider Jewish Federation of Greater Toledo, Anti-Defamation League, Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), or Leket (food security issues in Israel).

Arrangements by the Robert H. WICK/Wisniewski Funeral Home, (419)-535-5840.

www.wickfh.com