June 10, 2005 – November 2, 2021
Esther Iris Blum lived life to the fullest and loved family, friends, pets, playing and listening to music, singing, dancing – especially hip-hop, which they competed in, fashion, spending time in nature and traveling. Esther was a dedicated student, loyal friend, loving sibling and a beloved member of our family.
Esther’s sibling, Rachel, older by 16 years, lives in Brooklyn. They spent time together each summer in trips planned by Rachel. Esther chanted Torah and Haftorah at their Bat Mitzvah, cared about the world and making it a better place for all. They marched in the Black Lives Matter protests and was in a Teen GSA club at school.
They surfed, played guitar and piano, sang and wrote songs, and posted covers of their favorite artist, Taylor Swift, on TikTok. Esther hiked with friends and dog, Sparky, who was almost like another sibling, and strived to do well academically. In tenth grade, during Covid, they took five honors classes, contributed poems and helped edit the Literary Journal, acted in a school play, and sang in choir and an acapella singing group.
In Fall of 2020, Esther Iris began training as a Teen Line volunteer, then stopped reluctantly in the Spring of 2021, when everything became too much. Esther began to focus on self-care more, worked with teachers to tailored down their course load and began seeing a therapist. In the summer, they traveled to Costa Rica and then the East Coast to go camping with Rachel. Returning to school, even with a reduced schedule, brought renewed stress and anxiety. Though happy to see friends, they took leave of school to enter an out-patient PHP program and then an IOP, where they improved. They began playing electric guitar.
Yet, on November 2, 2021, Esther left this world by their own hand, an action we hoped and prayed would never happen. Their loss sent waves of sadness through the Temple Beth Am, Pressman Academy, Teen Line, Camp Ramah, and Milken Community High School communities they were part of, and our entire extended family. They are remembered by many dear friends. They touched everyone they met with a kind and gentle demeanor, a genuine, radiant smile, and a thoughtful way of listening and walking in the world. May their memory be forever a blessing.