Riva Pancerman (Zyrmunski)

Riva Pancerman (nee Esther Rivka Zyrmunski) of Baltimore Maryland, passed away on June 11, 2026 at the age of 103. She is survived by her loving children, Lee Israel, Sara (Ronald) Silverman, Abraham Pancerman (Lilya Tseytlin), and Cynthia Pancerman; adoring grandchildren Matthew (Marisol) Israel, Jeremy Israel, Adam Silverman, Stacey Silverman (Tim Lingenheld), Michael Silverman (Alexandra), Merissa (Michael) Mabee, Jonathan (Kristen) Pancerman. Adoring great grandchildren Rebecca Israel, Zachary Israel, Abigail Israel, Maxwell Israel, Samara Silverman, Leah Silverman, Drew Silverman, Jordana Silverman, Romi Silverman, Perseia Lingenheld, Max Pancerman, Maya Pancerman, Lauren Pancerman, and Dylan Mabee. She was predeceased by her caring siblings, Mordechai Eli Zyrmunski, Chaya Freyda Zyrmunski, Noah Gershon Zyrmunski, Pesach Zyrmunski; and her dear parents, Avraham and Mina Zyrmunski

Riva Zyrmunski Pancerman was born June 10, 1923 in the small town of Zyrmuny, Poland (now Belarus). On June 22, 1941 the Germans occupied her town and, on that day, she fled by foot, surviving the Nazi bombs falling around her. Riva was on the run; alone, hungry, and homeless throughout the war years, surviving in Russia while working in forced labor collective farms and factories under the most difficult conditions. On February 20, 1946 Riva returned to Poland only to find that she was the sole survivor of her family. Her parents, grandparents, four siblings, and extended family had all been taken to the Lida Ghetto where they were murdered on May 8, 1942. In June 1946 Riva and her husband, Max Pancerman, a Holocaust survivor from Bilgorj, Poland, were smuggled over three borders in the darkness of night, to the Bad Reichenhall Displaced Persons Camp in the American Occupation Zone. On March 30, 1949 Riva and Max left Germany to emigrate to Montreal, Canada. They lived there until they could meet the required seven-year quota that would allow them to immigrate to the United States on January 6, 1956. They raised their family in New York and later the couple retired and moved to Florida. Following Max's death in 2002, Riva moved to Baltimore, Maryland to be close to her loving family. Riva is survived by her four children, seven grandchildren, and 14 great grandchildren. She is predeceased by her parents and siblings whose lives were tragically murdered in the Lida Ghetto during the Holocaust. As matriarch of the Pancerman family, Riva leaves a blessed legacy of strength, devotion, caring, kindness, and great love for everyone in her life.

Services at Wellwood Cemetery, 1400 Wellwood Avenue, West Babylon, NY, 11735, on Monday, June 15th, 2026, at 1:30 pm. Please omit flowers. Contributions in her memory may be sent to Chevrei Tzedek Congregation, 3101 Fallstaff Road, Baltimore, MD 21209; the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, SW, Washington DC 20024-2126; or The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore, 5700 Park Heights Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21215. The family will be in mourning at 6 Woodsyde Place, Owings Mills, Maryland 21117 on Wednesday, June 17 7:30 PM with Rabbi Avi Scharfman; and Thursday, June 18 at 7:30 PM with Rabbi Marcie Jacobs. Visitors are welcome during the day.