Hyman Abrams, 91, a longtime Chicago lawyer who helped several family members escape the Nazis and then remained committed to Jewish causes for the rest of his life, died Monday at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chicago. Mr. Abrams, who emigrated from Poland at the age of 10 with his family, opened his home before and during World War II to family members fleeing the Nazis, said his daughter, Sharon. “I grew up thinking that every house had lots of other people staying with them,” said his daughter. Mr. Abrams also sent money to family members to pay their passage to the United States. Reaching out to family members facing the Holocaust was only one part of a lifetime of generosity and compassion, she said. After graduating from Bowen High School, Mr. Abrams studied at Chicago City Colleges before entering Northwestern University Law School. He practiced matrimonial, family and real estate law in Chicago for 55 years, she said. For most of his life, he and his late wife, Fay, lived in the South Shore neighborhood. They also were active in the Hyde Park community, where Fay Abrams taught at the University of Chicago Laboratory School. Mr. Abrams was committed to charitable causes in Israel, and he also supported the Holocaust Memorial Foundation of Illinois in Skokie and was honored for his commitment to Jewish causes, his daughter said. In addition to his daughter, Mr. Abrams is survived by two sons, Howard and Robert, and four grandchildren. An service will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday at Westlawn Cemetery, 7801 W. Montrose Ave., Chicago. It will be followed by a memorial service at 3 p.m. at Temple Sholom, 3480 N. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago.
