Richard H. Friedman, 56, U.S., lawyer, drowning, Dec. 30

Richard H. Friedman, 56, an attorney active in the Jewish community of Albany, N.Y., died in a swimming accident while on vacation with his family in Puerto Rico, Dec. 30, 2007.

Friedman was a member of the board of Albany’s Temple Israel, a Conservative synagogue, president of its Men’s Club, and former president of Albany’s Jewish day school, Bet Shraga Hebrew Academy.

(In My Heart Editor’s Note: I once lived in Albany, and knew Friedman by sight, as well as all the individuals quoted in this story. My condolences to his family, friends and the extended Albany, New York, Jewish community, a tight-knit group. I invite anyone from Albany who knew Friedman to write a comment to this article or to send us an email, which we will post in Friedman’s honor.)

Gordon Samuels, 84, U.K., Australia, lawyer, jurist, Dec. 10, 2007

Gordon Jacob Samuels, 84, an honored lawyer, university chancellor and former governor of the Australian state of New South Wales, died Monday, Dec. 10, 2007.

“I was saddened to hear of the passing of Mr Samuels who had a long and distinguished career in the law before becoming the state’s 36th governor,” New South Wales Premier Morris Iemma said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with Mr. Samuels’ family at this time. He was a fine servant of the people of NSW.”

Moses M. Weinstein, 95, U.S., politician, judge, Nov. 30

Moses M. Weinstein, 95, who got his start in New York electoral politics in his 40s, spent 10 days as acting governor, and then became a judge, died Friday in Florida.

Weinstein was born in New York on July 8, 1912. According to the New York Times, his first name was originally Morris and he had no middle initial, but a program for a theatrical production while he was a student at Brooklyn College gave him an initial. His degree from Brooklyn Law School erred in changing his name from Morris to Moses, which he continued to use in professional life. He was known to friends as Moe.