Obituary of Gerald L. Nathanson

Gerald L. Nathanson, 69 of Upper Freehold Township, died Thursday, February 12, 2009. He was a resident of Upper Freehold and a previous resident of Manalapan. Mr. Nathanson was a lifelong advocate of Jewish humanitarian and educational causes. As a result he was awarded the B’nai B’rith Citizenship Award for his tireless work. He subsequently aspired to president of B’nai B’rith and worked to raise money to dedicate the B’nai B’rith non-denominational chapel at CentraState Medical Center, Freehold Township. He was an active supporter of Jewish causes as a member of B’nai B’rith and an associate life member of Hadassah. As president of the Henry Ricklis Holocaust Memorial Committee, he was active in planning yearly observances and remembrances of horrors of the Holocaust and the 6,000,000 Jews murdered because they were Jews. Subsequently, he was instrumental in bringing the Hidden Children Exhibit, an exhibit of the Jewish children who were hidden by gentiles and rescued from the Nazis, to the South Brunswick Library and to the Mercer County Community College. Mr. Nathanson held several positions in the Freehold Jewish Center aspiring to president. He later affiliated with the Perrineville Jewish Center where he was president for seven years. He taught Hebrew school courses in anti-Semitism, the Holocaust, media bias, comparative religion, and Jewish ethics at Temple Beth Shalom in Manalapan, the East Brunswick Jewish Center, and the Perrineville Jewish Center. He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Barbara; his three children, David, Howard and Amy; and four grandchildren, Amanda, Daniel, Rebecca, and Asher. Services will be held at the Higgins Memorial Home, 20 Center Street, Freehold on Sunday at 10:00 A.M. Interment will follow at the Perrineville Jewish Cemetery, Perrineville. Donations in his memory to The Hadassah Foundation for Cancer Research, 50 West 58th Street, New York, New York 10019-2500 would be appreciated.