David H Rosen

David H. Rosen, 95, passed away on September 20, 2017 at his home in Newton, MA, surrounded by loved ones. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife Frances with whom he enjoyed a 60-year romance and marriage. He was the cherished father of Nancy Rosen of Newton, MA, Judi (Paul) Fischetti of Bellmore, NY, Steve (Claudia) Rosen of Wilmette, IL, and Susan Rosen of Minneapolis, MN, and adored Zayde of Rebecca Rosen Weil, Daniel Fischetti, Naomi Rosen and Gideon Rosen. He was predeceased by his parents Max and Sarah and his brothers Henry, Harry, and Felix. David was an esteemed colleague and treasured friend. He touched the lives of extended family and countless others as a second father and Zayde.

David grew up in Boston’s West End neighborhood, on “the Hill”. He graduated from Boston Latin School and The Ohio State University before enlisting in the army in 1942. He was a member of the 325th Glider Infantry in the 82nd Airborne Division, serving in Europe during the Second World War. He achieved the rank of Sergeant Major and in 1945 was among the first American occupation troops in Berlin.

After his military service, he attended Boston University’s School of Social Work graduating with an MSW. He then moved to Chicago where he worked as a youth group worker and later became Director of the Bernard Horwich Center, a major Jewish Community Center in Chicago. In 1962, he co-authored But Not Next Door with his brother Harry, chronicling community resistance to the building of desegregated housing in Deerfield, IL.

David spent 20 years in Chicago. His years there were blessed by meeting and marrying his wife Frances, and with the births of their four children.

The family moved to Boston in 1968 so that David could pursue an advanced degree at the Florence Heller Graduate School of Social Planning at Brandeis University. David received his Ph.D in 1973 in Community Planning and Gerontology.

He then joined the staff of Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP) in 1973, where he remained until his retirement in 1987, first as the Director of Social Planning, then as the Executive Vice President. While at CJP, he directed a significant expansion including mergers with neighboring federations and the opening of campuses in the western and southern suburbs and the growth of housing programs for the elderly. He was also instrumental in programs in Israel, including Project Renewal, focused on the rehabilitation of some of Israel’s poorest neighborhoods and Operation Moses, the semi-covert evacuation of Ethiopian Jews from famine-stricken Sudan.

Services will be held at Levine Chapels, 470 Harvard Street, Brookline, on Monday, September 25, 2017 at 10:30 am., followed by burial in the Stepiner Cemetery, 776 Baker Street, West Roxbury. Visitors will be welcomed at the family home immediately afterwards on Monday, September 25, from approximately 2:00 pm to 8:00 pm and Tuesday, September 26, from 11:00 am to 8:00 pm.

In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to the following organizations: