Barbara Wessel Hurst

Barbara Wessel Hurst moved to Seattle in 1983 to become the Pacific Northwest Area Director of the American Jewish Committee (AJC), a position she held until her retirement in 1995.
Barbara’s accomplishments during her tenure with the AJC include her sponsorship of the Consultation on American Pluralism, organizing a Stamp Out Hate campaign in conjunction with the mayor’s office, developing an Asian/Jewish summit, and bringing the AJC’s Hands Across the Campus to Seattle. Barbara also built coalitions among the various branches of Judaism in Washington State. Along with Sister Joyce Cox of the Seattle Archdiocese, she organized the Children of Abraham, an interfaith dialogue group of Christians, Muslims and Jews.
A partial list of Barbara’s achievements include vice chair and member of the King County Civil Rights Commission, and board member of Listen and Talk, a school for hearing impaired children. Barbara was a member of the Seattle Community Policing Action Council, co-chair of the Seattle Human Rights Commission, and co-chair of Governor Mike Lowry’s Civil Rights transition team. In addition, she was a member of the Ethnic Heritage Committee of the Washington State Centennial Commission and Family to Family program of NAMI of Seattle for families with a mentally ill family member.
Barbara loved the arts, spending much of her time with friends at the symphony, the theater, the Seattle Art Museum and Jazz Alley. Along with her husband Arnold Robbins, she hosted a July 4th celebration in their apartment overlooking Lake Union. During this annual event, the Constitution was read by Barbara and her guests, who eagerly anticipated the party each Independence Day. Barbara was an active congregant of Temple De Hirsch Sinai, where she served on the ritual committee.
Traveling the world after her retirement, Barbara moved back to Dallas in 2010. She is survived by her children Gary, Jeff (Cora), Nikki Gibson (Dennis) seven grandchildren, four great grandchildren and brother Edward Wessel (Judy).
Please send contributions to the North Texas Food Bank, 4500 South Cockrell Hill Rd., Dallas, Texas 75236.
May her memory be for a blessing.