Funeral Details

Dr. Avram R. Kraft

April 1, 1938 - July 18, 2023

SERVICE INFORMATION

Date and Time

Friday, July 21, 2023 at 11:00 AM

Service

North Suburban Synagogue Beth El
1175 Sheridan Road
Highland Park, Illinois 60035
Get Directions

Clergy

Rabbi William Hamilton
Rabbi Michael Schwab
Rabbi Alex Freedman
Hazzan Jacob Sandler

Interment

Shalom Memorial Park
1700 Rand Road
Arlington Heights, Illinois 60004
Get Directions

Shiva

North Suburban Synagogue Beth El
1175 Sheridan Road
Highland Park, Illinois 60035
847.432.8900
Get Directions
Following the interment until 6PM.
and
601 Mulberry Place
Highland Park, Illinois 60035
Sunday through Wednesday from 3PM-5PM and 7PM-9PM, with Minyan at 7:30PM.
Please look for signage to locate Shiva; you will be directed to either the Alpert or Hoffman residence.
Dietary laws observed.

Memorial Contributions

North Suburban Synagogue Beth El
1175 Sheridan Road
Highland Park, Illinois 60035
www.nssbethel.org
or
Congregation Kehillath Israel
384 Harvard Street
Brookline, Massachusetts 02446
www.congki.org
or
B'nai Torah Congregation
6261 SW 18th Street
Boca Raton, Florida 33433
www.btcboca.org/giving
or
The Foundation to Combat Anti-Semitism
75 Washington Street
Foxborough, Massachusetts 02035
www.fcas.org




OBITUARY

Dr. Avram R. Kraft, age 85

Beloved husband of Kerana Gladstone Kraft. Loving father of Rachel (Douglas Brown) Kraft, Adam Kraft (Partner in life Lois Miller) and father-in-law of the late Michael Maggio. Cherished brother of Robert (Dr. Dana Blumberg) Kraft and Elizabeth (Peter Levine) Kraft Levine and brother-in-law of the late Myra Kraft. Adored brother-in-law, uncle, cousin, colleague, and friend. Dear step-grandfather of Ben Maggio, Brittany Brown (Jose Manuel Astudillo), Stephen Brown (Laura Rosenbaum Brown) and Meredith Brown (Max Wertheimer) and step-great-grandfather of Eliana, Teodoro (Teo), Santiago (Santi) and Nicholas (Nico) Astudillo Brown and Lily Brown. A native son of New England, Avram R. Kraft was born, raised, and educated in Brookline, Massachusetts; Wells, Maine; New York City, NY; Columbus, Ohio and Burlington, Vermont. Avram served in the United States Navy in Bethesda, Maryland before entering academic medicine at the University of Illinois and providing care at Cook County Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. In the 1980s, he went into the private practice of general surgery in Highland Park, Illinois. Avram taught Compassion in Medical Care at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Evanston, Illinois and upon retiring from surgery in 2000, founded and chaired the Center for Compassion in Medical Care at Evanston Northwestern Healthcare. He was a perennial student of medicine, ethics, and ancient texts. Avram was an early advocate of hospice and palliative care. He chaired both the Ethics and Hospice committees at Highland Park Hospital where he also served as Secretary of the Medical Staff. In 2017, Avram published A Commitment to Compassion: Lessons from a Life of Service. After 40 years of living on Chicago’s Northshore, Avram and his wife Kerana moved to Boca Raton, Florida. Service Friday 11AM at North Suburban Synagogue Beth El, 1175 Sheridan Road, Highland Park, Illinois 60035. Interment Shalom Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to North Suburban Synagogue Beth El, www.nssbethel.org; Congregation Kehillath Israel, congki.org/give/ 384 Harvard Street, Brookline, MA 02446; B'nai Torah Congregation, www.btcboca.org/giving/ 6261 SW 18th Street, Boca Raton, FL 33433; or the Foundation to Combat Anti-Semitism, offers.kraftse.com/offers/fcas-combat-antisemitism, c/o FCAS - 75 Washington Street, Foxborough, MA 02035. Arrangements by Chicago Jewish Funerals - Skokie Chapel, 847.229.8822, www.cjfinfo.com. To attend the funeral live stream, please visit our website.


GUEST BOOK

We encourage you to share your personal condolences and stories of Dr. Avram R. Kraft below and we will share them with the family.
*Email and phone numbers will NOT be displayed online


My condolences to you Adam, and your entire family. Very sorry to hear this.

Patrick Kealy
July 18, 2023
I met Avram and his beloved wife Kerana one day in my office at Bloomingdales. His daughter Rachel, a client and friend, and her husband Doug brought them by to meet me. What a wonderful journey we have had! Let's just say that while spending time with Avram and Kerana these past years they became my dearest friends and always treated me like family. I was there with Avram and Kerana these past 15 years or so as they started pairing down a lifetime of treasures and memories in their Highland Park home on Ridgewood. Here is where Avram and Kerana shared countless stories while I witnessed the love and compassion they shared for each other. Stories of Rachel and Adam and Barbara and David and Fran and Bernie among so many others. Through these years I shared many Shabbat dinners with them and their friends as I listened to them speak Hebrew through prayers and devotion. Early on I realized how beautiful Avram's voice was! More than once I had the pleasure of lighting candles with them for Hanukkah. No matter what was happening in his life, he never missed his time of study with David and his Rabbi. Avram was a devoted brother and son and a husband that any woman would have gone to great lengths to marry, but his heart ❤️ belonged to the one and only Kerana. I once playfully told Kerana that I was in love with her husband and her immediate response was "Get in line!" I will miss my sweet friend "Avie" but will always remember him as I practice kindness, love and compassion to others,,it is what AVRAM taught to me and so many others in his lifetime. Blessings indeed.
Aleichem Shalom Avie,
(unto you peace") (Hebrew: עֲלֵיכֶם שָׁלוֹם).
Joycie


Joyce Sobczyk
July 20, 2023
Worked with him at Cook County Hospital
Top-flight surgeon
Good guy.
May his memory be a blessing.

Cory Franklin
July 20, 2023
May Avram's memory be for a blessing for his family and those who had the honor of knowing him.

Steven and Merle Tovian
July 20, 2023
Kerana, Rachel, Adam and all who loved Avram, I'm wrapping you into a great, big, loving hug. My heart weeps - Avram was truly one of a kind.
Like many, when I met Avi and Kerana, I fell immediately in love with them. Although I always considered myself thoughtful, kind and compassionate, Avi taught me so much more about those qualities. In addition to what Avram exuded from deep within, I will always remember Avi for his twinkling eyes and his contagious smile and of course how much he loved Kerana and his family. I fell in love with him (I was one of many, so I've been told).
One of my favorite memories of Avi was during one of my stays with them in Boca, we (Kerana, Joyce and me) convinced Avi to go to the beach for the day (which he didn't want to do). He sat under an umbrella, chair in the sand and wrote notes in a journal for his book. During the drive home, Avi thanked us for pushing him; that he really enjoyed himself and the day. There was that Avram warm smile and twinkle. I have many wonderful memories and will cherish all that include sharing time with Avram.
Tanchumin.
May Avram's memory be for a blessing.

Wendy Ruttenberg
July 20, 2023
Avram Kraft, while Chief Resident in Surgery at the Beth Israel Hospital taught me physical diagnosis in medical school. Far beyond showing me how to palpate liver or listen to the lungs, he emphasized that compassion and respect were as important a part of the patient interaction. Never take for granted that a patient is OK with a difficult part of the exam, ask them and explain why. Never be judgmental. Try to put yourself in the patient's position. As students, thank the patient for allowing us to learn from him/her. He remains a role model 52 years later: the mensch doctor. His family's loss is is also one for the medical community.

Gershon Locker
July 20, 2023
Avram was the kindest man I have known. He exuded love honor and respect. Steve and I loved him. He definitely was a blessing to all who knew him

Karen Edelstein
July 20, 2023
Dear Kraft Family,
I had the privilege of knowing Dr Kraft as a skilled surgeon while working at Highland Park Hospital. I was then honored when he personally invited me to join the HPH Ethics Committee that he chaired for so many years. We all learned so much from him. He shared qualities that are hard to duplicate as a trifecta; Kindness, Love, and Compassion. I will never forget his gentle hands and genuine smile. I will hold the personally signed copy of his book near to my heart. Godspeed Dr Kraft. Your life lessons will not be forgotten.

Bonnie Hansen
July 20, 2023
Dr. Kraft was my first senior attending when I was a first year surgery resident at Cook County Hospital. in 1979. Since I was on track to training in Urology, I did not have much contact but he did make a lasting impression on me .He was a fine role model kind and caring a surgeon.

Abraham Steinberg
July 20, 2023
Dear Kerana, Rachel & Adam It is never a proper time to say good bye to a treasured
love one.. , especially when the person is Avram Kraft
The gentleman with the purest soul & the largest heart..
.. it is difficult to say good bye but
we feel so blessed to have shared our lives with you..
All of our love Stephanie & Bob

Stephanie/Bob Soderberg
July 20, 2023
Avram Kraft 7/21/23
To Kerena, Rachel, and Adam,
I first met Dr Kraft in the operating room of Highland Park Hospital in the 80s. I noticed something unusual in his general disposition toward me, the operating room anesthesiologist. He was nice to me! Back in those days, the relationship between surgery and anesthesia was often strained and difficult. This man, Avram Kraft, came into the OR, said hello, was polite, and genuinely friendly. Wow! What a nice man I thought.
It was to be the beginning of a long relationship. Shortly thereafter Avram became chairman of the Medical Ethics Committee at Highland Park Hospital, of which I was a freshman member. I learned to greatly appreciate his kindness, attentiveness, then his wisdom and intellect. His ability to articulate points of view involving complex ethical dilemmas was special. A natural born teacher, as well as a perpetual learner.
I thought of him as a mentor, a colleague and a dear friend. His patience, and compassion made him a very special man. His was a life very well lived, an example to us all. Your passing is a great loss and you will be terribly missed.

Philippe Cochran


Philippe Cochran
July 21, 2023
I am forever grateful for so many amazing days and nights at the Krafts as an adolescent and then years of visits and thanksgiving meals together as our families grew and morphed. David and our family send our deepest condolences and our thanks for the beautiful memories.
Ruth David Leora Gaby, Aviva and Micah

Ruth Litovsky
July 21, 2023
Paul and I would like to express our condolences for your loss.

Charne Sherman
July 21, 2023
Dear Kerana, Rachel and Adam, my love and condolences to you and all family members on the loss of Avie. It was a privilege to have known such a special man, and an honor that I was able to be part of your lives as you welcomed me into your home and the Bethel Community. I hold in my heart wonderful memories of Shabbat dinners at your home, where I felt the joy from seeing the love between your family, hearing everyone's "best part of the week", sharing celebrations of life's events, and enjoying simple times together. Avie is a special person who left a lasting imprint on everyone who knew him. He will be greatly missed.

Dale Robson Looney
July 21, 2023
Dear Kerana, Rachel and Adam, we were so sad to hear about Avram's passing. Though the last years were very difficult for all of you, we know you will take comfort in his long and productive life. We will remember Avram for his warm-hearted soul. May his memory be for a blessing.
Love, Tamara and Earl Norman, Charlotte, NC.

Tamara and Earl Norman
July 21, 2023
I am so sorry to hear of Avram's death. I worked with Avram at Evanston Northwestern Healthcare in the hospice department.
He put so much thought and care in developing the Center for Compassion in Healthcare.
He was often in our office and was a constant source of care and knowledge. He gave of himself daily in supporting our hospice staff and patients. I will never forget him!
Rita

Rita Lang
July 25, 2023