A Message About Gail Hirsch Rosenthal

It is with great sadness that we share the loss of Stockton family member Gail Hirsch Rosenthal, director of the Sara and Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center, who passed away on October 13, 2023. 

Gail joined the Holocaust Resource Center in 1991, beginning her more than three decades of leadership at the university.  

Gail’s connections to the local community and Holocaust survivors were instrumental in helping the Center grow. The Center began as a single closet housing oral histories of local Holocaust survivors. Her significant work with countless community supporters helped the Center expand to its current size. The original room, now called the Gail Hirsch Rosenthal room, opened in 1990. 

"Gail was an unparalleled Holocaust educator, mentor and friend, and she will be dearly missed,” said Irvin Moreno-Rodriguez, assistant director of the Holocaust Resource Center. “Gail Rosenthal positively impacted the lives of a great number of Stockton faculty, staff and students, including my own. As an undergraduate student and as my director, Gail taught me that one person can always make a difference. Stockton's campus treasured Gail as a role model, and I urge all to remember Gail by being kind to one another.” 

Rob Gregg, dean of the School of General Studies, said, “It is almost impossible to calculate how much Stockton, the Holocaust Resource Center, and the community have lost with the passing of Gail Rosenthal. There is so much to be said, but I will just mention one thing. Almost no week went by without Gail calling up to ask for assistance in helping a student, whatever their background, who was going through difficulties, financial or otherwise. She was a beacon of light for these students, guiding so many, protecting and nurturing them all, and helping so many to reach their destinations successfully.” 

Michael Hayse, associate professor of Historical Studies, worked closely with Gail, sharing: “Gail’s passing has left a chasm in the Stockton community that cannot be filled. Anyone who knew her was struck with the depth of her kindness and the compassion she had for everyone. She cared. Above all, she poured her expansive and compassionate soul into the Sara and Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center and its mission. The Holocaust Center, which she grew and strengthened through years of tireless effort, will be her most enduring legacy.” 

Please keep Gail’s family in your thoughts, including her daughter, Toby Rosenthal, a member of the Communication Studies faculty, and her colleagues in the School of General Studies and Holocaust Resource Center.  

Members of the Stockton community are invited to share memories, stories and messages in the memorial book available in the Holocaust Resource Center.  

Please also read comments from President Joe Bertolino. Services are planned for Sunday, Oct. 15, at 10 a.m. at Beth El Synagogue, 500 North Jerome Ave., Margate, NJ. An obituary will follow.