Debra L. Feuer

Debra Feuer was born in New York City to immigrant parents whose families had fled Europe at the last moment before World War II. Debra and her siblings, Linda and Michael, grew up in the heart of the Jewish community. Debra attended college at SUNY Stony Brook with a year at Columbia, then went on to earn her law degree at Boston University.

Debra met Marvin at Harvard University Hillel in 1973, and the two were married in 1974. Debra and Marvin traveled to Washington “for the summer” in 1975, and have made it their home since.

Debra worked as a trial and appellate lawyer for federal agencies, pursuing her passions for justice and helping those in need. The Feuers lived in Cleveland Park, and were early members of the traditional minyan at Adas Israel synagogue.

Debra and Marvin had three children - David, Rachel, and Danny. When they were young, Debra decided to put her time and effort into raising her family. Debra jumped at the opportunity to move with her family to Israel for three years from 1986 to 1989, while Marvin served at the American Embassy. While In Israel, Debra was at her happiest, and made many friends for life. The Feuers returned to Washington in 1989 and joined Ohr Kodesh congregation when they moved to Bethesda.

As their children grew, Debra returned to the workplace as Counsel for Special Projects at the American Jewish Committee’s Office of Government and International Affairs for seven years. Here she had her dream opportunity to engage in congressional advocacy concerning the Middle East including fighting Iran’s nuclear program and supporting Israel’s quest for peace and security.

For the last few years, Debra served as a Board member of the American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists and the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington. She always maintained her focus on the fight for Israel and against anti-Semitism.

Debra loved visiting beautiful natural places and taking walks with family and friends. She enjoyed writing poems, which she shared with her family on many happy occasions. She enjoyed “spaziering” around new towns and cities, stopping at museums, shops, and especially ice cream stores.

Most importantly, Debra always put family first. She loved watching her children play sports and music, and spent hours helping them edit their school papers. As they got older, she enjoyed spending weekends with them in the various places they lived and organizing yearly family vacations to national parks.

She was thrilled with her children’s marriages, and felt incredibly blessed to be able to stay close to them and to her grandchildren, Ella, Sam, Eli, Eden, and Gabriel. Nothing made her happier than the chance to hug them or read them a story. She was “Savta” to each of them, and she will be missed.