Pediatrician, family woman, lover of humanity.
Shulamit, wife to Mr. Chaim Katzman, mother to Abigail, Bat-Ami and Evrona, daughter to Prof. Paul and Etta Rosen, born in Chicago and raised in Israel, studied at the Gymnasia Herzliya High School, and following her service in the Israel Defense Forces, studied medicine at Tel-Aviv University. Shulamit’s husband and three daughters followed her to Miami for a pediatric residency program at Jackson Memorial Hospital, where she later worked as an ER pediatrician. At the hospital, Shulamit stood out due to the rare combination of medical proficiency, love of others and her command of several languages. Shulamit was known for her warm relationship with her young patients and their families, offering them guidance and assistance with a constant smile. As part of her love of culture and art, Shulamit partook in various projects: she assisted in the establishment of a community theater for youth at risk in Jaffa, was an active member and contributor of the Holon Design Museum and the Miami Museum of Contemporary Art, as well as other institutions.
Shulamit was a social activist and supported a wide-range of organizations, most prominently, Larger than Life, an Israeli nonprofit organization focused on improving the quality of life and well-being of children with cancer and their families, by creating windows of fun and diversion within the daily challenges of fighting cancer. As a pediatrician, she personally accompanied the children in their dream trips to the United States and in Israel and served as Chairperson of Friends of Larger than Life in the United States.
Shulamit passed away, after a struggle with cancer, on August 29, 2013 (23 of Elul - 5773).
Your noble nature was surpassed only by your innate kindness and love of all. You always made others feel at ease in your company,
without pretention or hubris, without ever looking down at anyone, although God knows there was so much in you to look up to. And maybe that is why you were so loved by all. You never sought respect or recognition, but this great crowd gathered here today, from across the globe, is testimony of our love and admiration. I remember how, in 2006, during the Second Lebanon War, you knocked on the door of every mosque and synagogue in Miami to collect donations for liver transplants for two Arab girls from the village of Tamra, and made sure that they undergo the procedure at the best hospital in the field in the United States. Your love of people was color-blind and saw no religion, race, gender, age or nationality. You loved all people for who they are, unconditionally.