Naomi Rothschild

Naomi Rothschild was born Naomi Leah Bloom on September 11th, 1920 in New York City to David Bloom and Kate Rosen Bloom. David was a dentist with several offices in New York, but the family also had a farm in Norwood, New Jersey. Naomi moved there at age two weeks, and lived there for the first three years of her life.

She moved back to New York at age 4 and attended the Walden School on West 68th Street through the fourth grade, then PS 9 (the John Jasper school) until 8th grade. As her family moved around the city, she attended a number of high schools - the George Washington School Isham Annex, Fort Tryon High School and finally the Birch Wathen School on West 93rd Street. She attended New York University from 1938-1942, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree, and then spent an additional year getting a degree in art education at NYU.

Naomi met Carl Rothschild, a doctor who had just returned from serving in the Army Air Corps during the Second World War. They married on September 1st, 1946. When Carl finished his orthopedic surgery residency, they moved to Englewood, New Jersey, eventually in 1951 to their house near Englewood Hospital. Carl’s office was in their house, and he also worked at the hospital next door. Initially, Naomi ran the home-based practice with Carl.

Naomi and Carl tried for a long time to have a child, using what medical help was available at that time for infertility. Naomi would travel to a special clinic in Philadelphia, and finally in 1962, their son Michael was born.

Naomi was a very active volunteer, becoming a life member of the Englewood Volunteer Ambulance Corps, where she taught first aid and CPR (along with Michael). She volunteered for over 19,000 hours in total at Englewood hospital. She also worked tirelessly with numerous other organizations such as the National Council of Jewish Women, the Public Broadcasting Service auction, the New York City Opera Guild, the Bergen County Rape Center, the Lenox Hill Neighborhood Association, the Closter Nature Center and the Center for Food Action. These last two organizations were particularly dear to her, and her family has encouraged memorial donations in her name be made to them by anyone so inclined.

She was a talented silversmith, photographer and genealogist - corresponding with distant relatives all over the world as she chronicled her family’s history. Carl was a founding partner and manager of the Tenafly Racquet Club, an eight court indoor tennis facility; Naomi managed the club for many years after Carl’s death in 1994.

Naomi and Carl lived for the rest of their lives in Englewood. Michael had two sons with his first wife Jennifer - Adrian in 1989 and Dylan in 1994. He then had a daughter (Madeleine) with his second wife, Alison, in 2013. Naomi had a very close and loving relationship with all three of her grandchildren. She saw them frequently, and traveled with them on many occasions. Until the month before her death, she was extremely active - walking into town, going to theatre with her daughters-in-law, grandsons and other friends in New York City, and continuing to volunteer at the hospital. She remained the matriarch of her extended family, and when she fell ill, relatives and friends flew in from all over the country to spend time with her.

Naomi passed away on November 16, 2014 after a brief illness, peacefully, in her home, holding hands with her grandsons.  Even little Maddie said "bye!" and gave her a big kiss before she went to bed. We will never forget her loving kindness, her wit, her lifelong love of learning, and the joy that she brought into all of our lives.