Julius Schlesinger, Former Adat Ari El Synagogue President, Dies

STUDIO CITY, CA — Friends and family in Studio City are mourning today the loss of Julius Y. Schlesinger, former president at Adat Ari El Synagogue.

Schlesinger, who was born in 1919, died Wednesday, and services were held for him Friday at the Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery in Hollywood Hills.

According to his obituary in the Los Angeles Times, Schlesinger graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Economics from George Washington University where he met his wife of 71 years, Emma. Schlesinger served as sergeant in World War II and settled in Los Angeles to raise his three sons after the war.

He founded the Westside Paper Company with his brother-in-law. Schlesinger twice served as president at Adat Ari El and later he volunteered as the synagogue’s controller. According to his obituary, his social conscious led him to fight for workers' rights and equality for minorities, activism that got him caught up in the "Red Scare" of the '40s and '50s.

“In addition to his three sons, Julius is survived by his two daughters-in-law, Marcia and Paula, his five grandchildren, Alisa, Ariella, Yoav, Jennifer, and Avital, as well as nine great-grandchildren,” his obituary states. “Julius always carried a tune, had a smile on his face, and epitomized joie de vivre.”