David Landau

The Honorable Judge David Landau passed away peacefully at his home on Monday, March 21, 2022, surrounded by his loving family. He was 92. David was born January 8, 1930, to Alexander and Bella Landau in Jersey City, New Jersey. Judge Landau' s father survived and escaped the brutal injustices of Eastern Europe of the early 20th Century before operating the Belle Curtain Shoppe in Union City, experiences which would shape David's senses of justice, commerce, and law. David's uncommon intelligence manifested as a young child, skipping grades and graduating high school two years early.

David entered his beloved Rutgers University at age 16, naturally excelling academically. In 1950, he graduated from Rutgers and enrolled at Harvard University to study law. Upon receiving his law degree in 1953, David enlisted in the US Air Force, where he first flexed his legal skills by negotiating settlements of contract terminations, achieving the rank of First Lieutenant. Upon leaving active duty in 1956, David was set up on a blind date with Paula Sue Wilson. Although both resided in New Jersey, David and Paula happened to each be vacationing in Florida at the time of their first date. In an effort to impress Paula, David rented a bright pink convertible for the occasion. She was not impressed.

Nevertheless, they fell in love and were married the following year. Paula was the love of David's life, with that bond only growing with each of their 64 years of marriage. Together, they traveled the world, collecting rare minerals, artifacts, and artwork. With David's penchant for storytelling, these souvenirs became imbued with meaning -- relics of David and Paula's life of love, wonder, and adventure. If Paula was David's sun and stars, his daughters, Elise and Abby, were the centers of his universe.

David was an attentive and active father who loved to play with his kids. Upon coming home from work, he would remove his coat and tie to challenge them to wrestling matches in the foyer. The family took countless trips together, with David and Paula making it a priority to expose the girls to a wide range of diverse and exotic locations, experiences, and foods. When not traveling, they would spend most nights cuddled up on the couch in their home in South Orange, which was a haven for their girls and a destination for their friends and family. They filled that home with love, laughter, music, parties, and celebrations, living there for nearly 50 years. David was a devoted son to his parents, making sure to always drive a car large enough for them to ride comfortably, and hosting them for Sunday dinners with Paula and the girls every week. As the girls became adults and wed, he embraced their husbands as his own sons and continued his tradition of loving attention with his six grandchildren. He was a man of warmth with a keen and wry sense of humor, a gregarious personality who made and maintained many close friends, some of whom he'd known for more than 75 years.

Professionally, David was a titan. After the military, David began his legal service to the State of New Jersey, rising to the position of Deputy Attorney General and among other achievements, pioneering advancements in securities regulation, cemetery regulation, and consumer protection. In 1962, he entered private practice as a partner at the law firm of Hellring, Lindeman, Landau, & Siegel, representing notable clients including ShopRite and the Freehold Raceway. In 1977, David was appointed by Governor Brendan Byrne to serve as a Judge in the Law Division of the New Jersey Superior Court. He quickly established himself and rose through the ranks, joining the Chancery Division in 1983, and rising to the Appellate Division in 1986, where he served for 24 years.

As a jurist, Judge Landau earned a reputation for fairness, independence, and integrity. He was known for listening intently with a calm yet amiable demeanor. The author of hundreds of published opinions and countless more, Judge Landau compiled an ultimately perfect judicial record. He supervised the Civil Appeal Settlement Program and was a member of the Opinion Committee, charged with approval of novel opinions written by trial judges for publication. Well-respected and widely admired by his peers, Judge Landau was also an active mentor to his many law clerks, with whom he stayed in touch over the years.

Despite Judge Landau's professional eminence, he maintained an active and healthy balance of work and leisure. David had a diverse range of interests, with appreciation for the arts, music, dance, and athletics, especially tennis. He loved attending live events with his family, including concerts and Rutgers basketball and football games, where he became a mainstay at tailgate parties. He and Paula were ever-present at their kids' and grandchildren's events, making a point to attend their dance recitals, sporting events, and performances They loved spending weekends and holidays with them at their cabin in the Berkshires, where they hiked, swam, stargazed, and solved puzzles by the fire. David was also active in his community, serving as President of the Jewish Vocational Services of Metropolitan NJ and on the regional board of the United Way.

David was predeceased by Paula in August 2021, and by his parents, Alex and Belle. He is survived by his daughters Elise Ershow and Abby Landau, his sons-in-law Donald Ershow and Steven Stein, his grandchildren Jeremy Ershow and his wife Dorrie Barbanel Ershow, Corey Ershow, Danielle Stein Litton and her husband Alexander Litton, Adena Ershow, Alexandra Stein, and Netanya Stein, his great-grandchildren Elena Ershow, Yaakov Litton, Leba Litton, and Zachary Ershow, and his beloved nieces, nephews, friends, and caregivers.

A beloved family man, a brilliant and respected legal mind and a loyal friend, David will be missed dearly. His memory, legacy, and impact will live on.

In loving memory of David’s beloved wife Paula and her brother Leon, the family established a fund to help advance Myotonic Dystrophy Type 2 (DM2) research. We are directing donations in David’s memory to this fund.

Physicians and scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center, a leading institution for DM2 research, have been working for nearly 30 years to better understand, diagnose and treat this disease. The Paula Wilson Landau, Leon Wilson & Wilson Family Myotonic Type 2 Research Fund will help provide resources to these experts as they seek to improve the lives of those living with DM2.

Should you be interested in making a donation in David’s memory, please feel free to:

Give online at: giveto.urmc.edu/WilsonLandauResearchFund. Please use the link below under the word DONATIONS to bring you directly to the donation webpage.

or mail a check, made payable to the University of Rochester and note “Wilson Landau Research Fund” on the memo line, to:

University of Rochester, Medical Center Advancement, Attention: James O’Brien, 300 E. River Road, Box 278996, Rochester, NY 14627