Dr. Galli S. Ascher spent much of her life devoted to helping others as a medical doctor in the field of pathology with a
specialty in hematology and cancers of the blood. When she passed away in
February 2014 in Long Beach, Calif., she left a legacy of altruism that will
continue through a generous bequest of over $4 million to JNF from the estate
of Dr. Ascher and her late husband Lionel F. Ascher.
"The Aschers were big supporters of Israel," recalled Alan
B. Unterman, a close family friend and trustee of the Ascher Family Trust.
Unterman knew Galli since he was a young boy; his father, David Unterman, worked
alongside her in the pathology department of the Veterans Administration
Hospital in Long Beach for many years, where she held the position of chief pathologist.
"I grew up knowing the Aschers," he said. "They were present
at my bris, bar mitzvah, Passover seders, and other celebrations. I remember
them to be an eccentric couple. Galli was extremely opinionated, while Lionel
was more bookish. They were always on the hunt for new and different things."
