Faye Moskowitz

1930 - 2022

MOSKOWITZ

FAYE MOSKOWITZ

Faye Stollman Moskowitz, noted author, teacher and commentator and inspiration to the multitude of people whom she touched, passed away peacefully in her sleep at her home on Monday, February 21, 2022. Ms. Moskowitz was 91 years old.



Moskowitz, who was known to most simply as Faye or Faygie, was born in Detroit, Michigan, on July 31, 1930. After spending much of her early childhood during the Depression in Jackson, Michigan, she returned to Detroit where she attended Durphy Intermediate School and Central High School.



In 1948, she married her beloved husband, Jack, who predeceased her in 2020. The early death of Faye's beloved mother, Sophie, and Jack's father, Frank, put them in the position of caring for her younger brothers Chaim and Reuben as well her father Aaron and mother-in-law Helen. While this responsibility kept Faye from immediately pursuing a college education, it provided many of the experiences she would chronicle in her later books and articles.



As a devoted mother and housewife, raising four children, Faye still found time to engage in two passions - politics and folk music that remained central to her throughout her life. As an activist for the Oakland County Democratic party, Faye served as a delegate to the 1960 Democratic Convention in Los Angeles. Additionally, she taught folk guitar to hundreds of students.



In 1962, Faye and Jack moved to Washington, DC. As Faye's children grew older, she realized her dream of returning to school and attended George Washington (GW) University where she ultimately earned her PhD (ABD) and served as both a professor and chair of the English Department. Among her achievements at GW were the formation and initial management of the The Jenny McKean Moore Fund and Professorship and the establishment (through the generous support of David Bruce Smith) of GW's Jewish Literature Live class that was cited by Time Magazine as one of "the hottest seats in class" in 2013. Faye, an institution at GW, continued teaching well into her 80s. Prior to serving on the faculty of GW, Faye served as the inaugural director of the Edmund Burke Middle School, helping establish the respect for that institution that remains to this day. Faye's tenure as Resident Scholar of the annual Writers Retreat sponsored by the DC JCC continued until last year. Additionally, she co-chaired the JCC Literary Festival for many years.



Faye's tenure as a student and faculty member at GW were punctuated with endeavors outside the university that were recognized globally. While working on her advanced degree, Faye began a career in writing that led to the publication of numerous books and articles. Contributions in the Style section of the Washington Post led to a surprise five-week stint writing the beloved "Hers" Column in the New York Times, which led to the publication of her first book, "A Leak in the Heart" published in 1985. The late columnist Russell Baker commenting on Faye's first book called it "[A] lovely book, beautifully written, the kind that makes you want to grab your friends, say hey, listen to this, and start reading aloud." During this time, Faye was also a regular contributor to NPR's "All Things Considered." Faye continued to write throughout her career completing four more works of her own and editing an anthology of women writers. In her later years, Faye served as poetry editor for Moment Magazine.



Having grown up in an Orthodox family in Detroit, Faye never lost her abiding commitment to Judaism. As an adult, she and her daughter, Shoshana, became Bat Mitzvah together at Adas Israel Synagogue. Faye was also a tireless speaker who, in addition to doing readings of her own works, served as a speaker for the United Jewish Appeal regaling Local Women's Divisions, Young Leadership Cabinet Groups and campaign meetings with her tales of growing up Jewish in the Midwest.



As matriarch of the Moskowitz home of 60 years on Highland Place in the District, Faye served host to numerous gatherings and readings. Her commitment to Civil Rights, an end to the War in Vietnam and other causes made her one of the most sought after "hoteliers" of her generation with the home on Highland Place serving as refuge to literally hundreds of people, including those attending rallies, exchange students, Capitol Hill staffers and even a future Member of Congress.



Faye is survived by her beloved children, grandchildren and great granddaughter: daughter and son-in-law Shoshana and Peter Grove; granddaughter Helen Grove and husband Mac LeBuhn and their daughter Eleanor; son and daughter-in-law Frank Moskowitz and Heidi Findley; son and daughter-in-law Seth Moskowitz and Cheryl Michaly; grandson Henry Moskowitz and Henry's mother Julie Lapore; daughter and son-in-law Elizabeth and Jeffrey Korns and grandson Jonathan Korns. Faye is also survived by her loving brother and sister-in-law Reuben and Susan Stollman, nieces, nephews and cousins. She leaves behind her trusted caregivers Irene, Noeme, Berri and Stella, and a host of friends, colleagues and students.



Graveside services will be held privately. To honor Faye's memory, donations can be made to two of the many organizations close to her heart: The Sisterhood - Adas Israel Congregation (Designate the Faye Moskowitz Writer's Retreat), and The Jenny McKean Moore Fund and Professorship. Services entrusted to Sagel Bloomfield Danzansky Goldberg Funeral Care.

www.sagelbloomfield.com