Karen Silverstein, who was born and raised in St. Louis and first came to public attention with the cult-classic culinary documentary “Gefilte Fish,” passed away peacefully after a courageous battle with ovarian cancer on Nov. 11, 2022, in the San Francisco Bay Area, surrounded by her family.

In her 14-minute documentary ”Gefilte Fish,” Silverstein focused on three women in one family, a grandmother, her daughter and her liberated granddaughter, each discussing and demonstrating how they make gefilte fish. It’s both funny and moving.

“The grandmother, now retired from the exhausting work, takes a dim view of the Cuisinart used by her daughter, an upscale member of the middle-class who admits that the smells almost make her sick. In turn, her daughter, who wears a Cornell sweatshirt, demonstrates how to open a bottle of ready-made gefilte fish. When the cap won’t unscrew, she bangs it on the floor, saying, ‘This usually works with peanut butter,’” wrote the New York Times about the film in 1990.

Silverstein dedicated her life to telling stories and giving a voice to those who often were not heard. She spent many years as an editor and producer at Boston’s public television station, and at a host of other public television stations, creating everything from history and science programs to children’s television, such as the series “Zoom,” “Arthur” and “Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman.” She edited “The 60s” and went to partner with Lizzie Warren to complete “War Zone/Comfort Zone,” which was nominated for a regional Emmy for best documentary.

A memorial service will be held this Thursday, November 17, 10:00a.m. at Congregation Temple Israel, 1 Rabbi Alvan D. Rubin Drive. Visitation with Silverstein family begins at 9 a.m. until time of service.  Live stream available at www.ti-stl.org/watch.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial gifts be made in Silverstein’s memory to support ovarian cancer research to the UCSF Foundation, P.O. Box 45339, San Francisco, CA 94145. Please make checks payable to the UCSF Foundation and write “in memory of Karen Silverstein” in the memo line.