HELENE KARPA

KARPA--Helene Berman. Helene Berman Karpa, a national leader in Jewish and Zionist nonprofit organizations who devoted decades of service to Hadassah, died on March 20 in Bethesda, MD. She was 95. A third-generation native Washingtonian, Mrs. Karpa held senior leadership roles in Hadassah for more than three decades. She served as president of the Greater Washington Area chapter from 1972 to 1975, later became a National Vice President, and was a member of Hadassah's national board of directors for 34 years. Among her many roles were leadership positions with the Washington Task Force, chair of Career Woman, and, for 15 years, national exhibit and display chair. Trained in the arts, Mrs. Karpa brought a strong visual and communications sensibility to her volunteer work. Until her retirement in 2005, she oversaw the communications department at Hadassah's national office, directing the design and production of the organization's communication materials. Mrs. Karpa was also deeply involved in the Washington Jewish community. She served as president of the Jewish Community Council of Greater Washington from 1984 to 1986 and was a longtime member of Adas Israel Congregation, where her great-grandfather was a founding member. She was married to Morton Karpa, who died in 2002. She is survived by three children, Jeffrey, Jennifer, and Carol Karpa, and a grandson, Sean Karpa.