Henrietta Freedman, a past president of the Jewish Federation Women’s Division and a founder of Lifelong Learning, died Thursday, Jan. 4, at her home.  She was 95 and died peacefully, surrounded by family, a family member said.

Admired by many for her generosity, optimistic spirit and willingness to support numerous Jewish and general community causes, Mrs. Freedman was the wife of the late Rudolph Freedman for more than seven decades. The Freedmans supported one another in their many communal and civic activities.

In a 2009 interview with the Jewish Light, Mrs. Freedman said that her membership and active volunteering at Congregation Shaare Emeth was an important entry point for her and her husband to get involved. “To me, volunteering for Shaare Emeth and other community activities is all about creating positive connections,” she said. “Connection has been a major part of our family for the past 66 years.”

Mrs. Freedman taught in the Shaare Emeth Religious School, helped organize a weekly Bible discussion group, and served as president of the temple’s Sisterhood.

In addition to her Shaare Emeth activities, Mrs. Freedman was the first woman president of the Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis, and also served as chair of the St. Louis Holocaust Museum and Learning Center, working with the late co-founders of the museum— Bill Kahn, executive vice president of the Jewish Federation; Thomas R. Green, attorney and past president of the Federation and Leo Wolf, a survivor of several Nazi death camps.  

Bill Kahn, past executive of the Jewish Federation credited Mrs. Freedman’s “hands-on but gentle style” for putting the museum on a course towards becoming a dynamic community activity.

She was a member of the Washington University Board of Governors and was instrumental in establishing the university’s Lifelong Learning program. She was a recipient of the Brotherhood/Sisterhood Award of the regional National Council for Community and Justice. 

Mrs. Freedman worked closely with her late husband early in their marriage in running the Adolphus Hotel and then serving as Vice President of SEMCOR and helping it to become a leading distributor of industrial products in the midwest.

Henrietta Freedman was the daughter of the late Sophie and Joseph Winesuff.  Rudolph Freedman, her husband of 72 years, died in 2015.

Survivors include her three children, Robert Freedman (Sari);  Judith Freeman (John Lawrence) and Richard Freedman (Ronda Moss); six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

A funeral service was planned for Jan. 10 at Congregation Shaare Emeth, with burial to follow at New Mount Sinai Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, contributions preferred to the St. Louis Holocaust Museum and Learning Center, the National Council of Jewish Women or the charity of the donor’s choice.