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About June Chaus

June Lyons Chaus was born in Chicago, Illinois on June 18, 1927, the middle child of Fred and Ethel Lyons. Of Rumanian and English Jewish descent, June transferred to Seattle, Washington while working for Sylvania Electric in 1953, and married Argentinian-born Manuel Chaus (nee Chausovsky) in November, 1954. June and Manny had four children, and spent the next several decades raising their children while working and being involved in community service activities.


In the late 1950s, June chaired the Eastside Council of Group Health before the family moved to Argentina for four years. Upon their return to Seattle, Manny served as a ski patroller for 40 years, during which time June volunteered as the adviser (chair) of the ski patrol auxiliary, overhauling the first aid room and completing ski patrol training as well. Both Manny and June were very involved in Temple Sinai, serving as president and sisterhood president respectively, as well as on the religious committee and the choir for many years. Later, June ran the Women's Homeless Shelter at Temple De Hirsch Sinai.


After becoming a massage therapist in 1983, June served as treasurer, president, and office manager for the Northwest Massage Practitioners Association and was also involved in the American Massage Therapy Association, supporting events such as the Seattle to Portland Bicycle Ride. She had just joined the Social Action Committee at Temple De Hirsch Sinai when Art Siegal asked for volunteers to support a joint effort of Stephen Merken, Charles Davis, Rabbi Michael Robinson and Dr. Robert Jeffries, pastor of the New Hope Baptist Church. Soon after, the African-American Jewish Coalition for Justice was born.


June first paid AAJCJ dues in October, 1993, and served as treasurer and newsletter editor of the AAJC for many years. Her home address received most of the mail for the AAJCJ, and at one point, she singlehandedly sent out nearly 800 newsletters per issue.


Today, June continues to be an active member of AAJC. She leads a knitting group, Stitches from the Heart, creating baby clothes and blankets and then donating them to local hospitals and the Eastside Baby Center. She also leads a weekly Talk Time class for English as a Second Language students, volunteers at Temple B'nai Torah's gift shop, and publishes the monthly newsletter for her community. The June R. Chaus Scholarship honors this amazing woman and her tireless support of the AAJC.