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In Memory Of Our Poets

Aviva Ruth Hoffman (1970-1999) - Class Of 1988

Deceased Poet: Aviva Ruth Hoffman
Date Of Birth: January-27-1970
Date Deceased: January-19-1999
Age at Death: 28
Cause of Death: DUI. The other driver was intoxicated while driving. Her mother Beryl Cohen also died.
Poet City: Huntsville
Poet State: AL
Poet Country: USA
Survived By: Shai Hoffman, brother; Jan Hoffman, father


Aviva had a heart of gold. She was devoted to her family, friends and the teachings of her Jewish faith. She never let a day pass without telling her family "I love you."

Born in West Virginia, she & her family moved to Montgomery in the mid 1970s. She grew up on the west side of town, having attended Carver Elementary and Junior High before enrolling in LAMP. She and her family belonged to Temple Beth Or, where her mother Beryl Cohen served as the religious school administrator. At her bat mitzvah, she read her Torah portion in English, Hebrew and sign language during the Saturday morning service.

During her time at LAMP, she frequently drove her classmates crazy with her constant worry over tests, reports, projects and exams. ("Oh, I'm going to fail this. I'll stay up all night and still won't learn enough. Oh my God!") So she stayed up all night, got through the tough days then still made her A's and an occassional B. Her friends learned to disregard her frequent anxieties.

She grew up wanting only one career - to become a physician. She enrolled in UAB's Honors Program then UAB School of Medicine. When she graduated in 1996 from UABMC, her friends and family cried happy tears, knowing how hard and long she worked to achieve her goal.

She spent her residency years in Huntsville, Alabama, when she volunteered to go to Arizona for a rural medicine rotation, providing health care to indigent Native Americans. Her mother Beryl had flown out there to visit her as an early 29th birthday present.

We are grateful for having had Aviva in our lives. We miss her very much. May her memory be for a blessing to all who knew her. May God comfort her mourners, together with all those who mourn for Zion and Jerusalem.


Information submitted by Dan Weinrib.