Newberger, Charlotte
Newberger—cultural connector, pioneering businesswoman, beloved family anchor—died unexpectedly on October 28. Charlotte was born and raised in Milwaukee, and graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, with a degree in theater. After marrying her treasured Michael, the man who would be her strongest supporter through nearly 60 years of marriage, she worked as an elementary school teacher in Evanston, and was active with children’s theater groups in
the Chicago area. But the desire for a new challenge led her to become a residential real estate broker, and she became one of the superstars of Chicago real estate, receiving the Chicago Association of Realtors’ Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005. A creative entrepreneur and a “do it don’t just say it” feminist, she was a founding partner of Beliard Gordon and Partners, the first woman-owned brokerage in Chicago. The enterprise was a huge success, and after a number of years was bought out by a larger competitor. Charlotte’s creative energy, remarkable ability to bring people
together, and love of the arts were hallmarks of her life. She was a founding board member of the St. Nicholas Theater, and served seventeen years on the board of the Steppenwolf Theater, helping it become the cultural icon it is today. She was a member of the board of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago. She established the Charlotte Newberger Poetry Prize at Lillith Magazine; served as president of both the National Jewish Theatre and the National Foundation for Jewish Culture, and was the first recipient of the American Jewish Congress’s Deborah Award, recognizing the most influential women leaders in the Jewish community. Above all, Charlotte will be remembered for her innate and magnetic ability to build and maintain friendships. Her kindness and genuine concern for everyone whose path she crossed will always be remembered by all who were fortunate enough to come into her orbit. Charlotte was preceded in death by her parents Alex and Anna Malkin, and her dear sister Renee (Ted) Engel. In addition to her beloved husband Michael, she was the loving mother of Tamar (Andy Schapiro) Newberger and Robin (Steve Sacks) Newberger, treasured grandmother of Andrew, Samantha, Galia, and Alex, and devoted aunt to six nieces and nephews. Services will be held Monday, 12pm at Chicago Jewish Funerals, 8851 Skokie Blvd, (at Niles Center Road), Skokie. Interment Waldheim. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to The Jewish Women’s
Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago, www.juf.org/ jwf or The In[HEIR]itance Project, www.inheiritance. org. To attend the funeral live stream, please visit our website. Arrangements by Chicago Jewish Funerals Skokie Chapel, 847.229.8822, www.cjfinfo.com.