Ann Pappenheim Rosenberg, 90, a pillar of the Dallas Jewish community, passed away July 30, 2024. Rosenberg was a warm, loving, strong-willed, generous, and deeply devoted matriarch who left an indelible mark on the Dallas Jewish community and beyond. 

Born in Vienna on Jan. 12, 1934, Rosenberg was a Pappenheim family member, known as community leaders and among the founders of the worldwide Agudas Yisrael movement. Her family fled to the United States in 1938 to escape the Holocaust. Ann met her husband, Marcus Rosenberg z”l in the Catskill Mountains. They married in 1956 and built a life and legacy in Dallas, nurturing their five children, Helen, Steve, Margot, z”l, Lizzy and Sheri, z”l.

Her grandchildren got her

Known as Oma to her grandchildren, Rosenberg embodied Yiddishkeit and created a warm home with Jewish practice, Torah and Torah values at its core. Her grandson Sam Pulitzer said that his grandmother taught him and his family the most important life lessons through her actions. “Being a good person to you meant treating people of all walks of life with grace, no matter their background,” he said. “Being able to value someone by their character was the highest form of wisdom to you, you taught everyone the concept of Mazel.” He explained that his grandmother taught not only the family, but many others outside the family the meaning of Shabbat.” Your Shabbos table was a gift. You were Oma to a lot of people in this town. If they couldn’t understand your wit, they eventually came to understand your generosity.”

Grandaughter Ariela Rosenberg Brafman said she admired her grandmother for the pioneering woman she was.

“She was independent. She was smart. She saw a communal need, or discreetly a personal need, and she just filled it. I’m pretty sure she didn’t ask for permission. She was a doer, and after a lifetime of doing, she has left an incredible imprint on our family, on this community and beyond.

Jessica Pulitzer said that her grandmother had a keen ability to recognize her children’s and grandchildren’s individuality.

“No two relationships with Oma were alike, but she gave each of us what we needed, and she knew what we needed because she was always paying attention,” Pulitzer said.

Grandson David Waks said he was impressed by his grandmother’s integrity. He mentioned a few phrases which resonated with him deeply:

“‘If you want something done right, do it yourself.’

“‘Do it right, or don’t do it at all.’

“‘Do what’s right, even if it’s not popular,’ and 

“‘You can get a lot done if you don’t worry about who gets credit.”

Jewish education was key

A Jewish day school education for her children was paramount to Rosenberg. She was a driving force behind the founding of Akiba Academy, the first Jewish day school in Dallas. and remained a steadfast supporter of the institution — now Akiba Yavneh Academy — throughout her life. “Any boy or girl currently receiving a Jewish day school education in Dallas of any stripe owes a debt of gratitude to Ann Rosenberg, as do the parents of those students,” said Rabbi Howard Wolk, founding and emeritus rabbi of Congregation Shaare Tefilla and Jewish Family Service of Dallas community chaplain.

Building community

Rosenberg was a founding member of Congregation Shaare Tefilla. Along with her husband Marcus and others she had the vision for a Modern Orthodox community in Dallas. When she identified a need she helped fill it. Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky shared an example of this trait. During the shiva of her sister-in-law Vali Rohan, she noticed how difficult it was to maneuver the “portable” Aron Kodesh to shiva houses. Rosenberg asked Rackovsky if the shul would benefit from a smaller Sefer Torah and Aron Kodesh. After replying, “yes,” Rackovsky said a new Sefer Torah and Aron Kodesh were dedicated within six months. In fact, they were used at Rosenberg’s own shiva house following her funeral.

“She didn’t just identify causes. She built up and identified people,” Rackovsky said. “If she believed in you, she would be your biggest fan, especially if you were doing things that were outside the box that she felt were good for the Jewish community.”

Rosenberg was a prolific philanthropist, supporting a wide range of causes both within the Jewish community and beyond. She was instrumental in establishing the kosher food pantry at Jewish Family Service and helped launch a breast cancer support group at the organization. Her late daughters Margot and Sheri fought valiant battles against breast cancer.

Rosenberg’s generosity extended nationally and globally, with donations to institutions like Yeshiva University in New York and Bar-Ilan University in Israel among others. 

Rosenberg’s legacy will continue to inspire the Dallas community she helped build and nurture for decades to come.

She was predeceased by her husband of 49 years, Marcus, and her daughters, Margot and Sheri.

She is survived by her children Helen (Shami) Waldman, Steven (Ruthy) Rosenberg and Lizzy (Jules) Greif; grandchildren David (Amber) Waks, Daniel Waks (Andrea Ditter), Noa (Brett) Rudman, Elie (Talia) Rosenberg, Ariela (Yonatan) Brafman, Dana (Zach) Sipzner, Jacob (Sofie) Greif, Gabriella Greif, Jessica Pulitzer (Yogi Schulman), Samuel Pulitzer, Miles (Zoe) Pulitzer, Mina (Noah) Cohen, Markus, Maurice and Margaux Kanter; sons-in-law Randy Pulitzer and Gregg Kanter; and 19 great-grandchildren.

A funeral service was held Aug. 1 at Congregation Shaare Tefilla. Burial followed at Sparkman Hillcrest.