Marilyn Toba Heller, 91, the founder of ArtReach, head of the ADL-federation’s Commission on International Jewish Affairs and an activist for Soviet Jewry, passed away at her Denver home Feb. 26, 2021. Rabbi Evette Lutman led the March 3 memorial service at B’nai Havurah.
Mrs. Heller was born Dec. 5, 1929, in Denver to Joe and Idalla Safran.
Valedictorian of her East High graduating class, she attended CU, where she met and married Eugene Heller in 1948. They were together for 23 years.
A politically active woman, Mrs. Heller campaigned for busing in DPS and promoted stricter gun control laws and legislation after the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy.
Mrs. Heller founded and was the first executive director of ArtReach, which provided access to arts and culture for underserved and at-risk individuals.
She then joined the staff of the ADL, where she directed the Commission on International Jewish Affairs, co-sponsored by ADL and the Allied Jewish Federation.
Mrs. Heller frequently went to Russia, where she met with Jewish families and encouraged them to emigrate.
A lifelong lover of the arts, particularly Broadway musicals and opera, she taught several classes in these areas at OLLI.
Mrs. Heller, a two-time breast cancer survivor, helped counsel other women battling the disease.
She married Steve Cohen in 1984 and took care of her husband for the last 10 years of his life as he battled Parkinson’s disease. Mr. Cohen died May 15, 2014.
Marilyn Toba Heller is survived by her daughters Linda (Alan) Treibitz, Judy (Mark Muller) Heller and Audrey Heller; grandchildren Janelle, Lyssa, Stephanie, Daniel, Joe and Katrina; and great-granddaughters Ayla and Mari.
Donations may be made to B’nai Havurah or Parkinson’s Foundation of the Rockies.
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