Our Story

The Epstein Memorial Fund was created in honor of the late Hans and Rosy Epstein. Hans and Rosy were originally from Frankfurt, Germany.  Hans was from an upper class family and would routinely bring his laundry to the same laundromat owned and operated by a widow whose daughter, Rosy, helped at the shop.  After many encounters, the two fell in love, and eventually married.

In the year 1934, Hans, who came from a comfortable financial background and was formally educated, grew concerned that Jewish teens would suffer irreparable harm as they were being denied admission to German high schools. Jewish adolescents were not only unable to compete for jobs but eventually would face deportation and therefore it was essential that they were equipped to emigrate from Nazi Germany. Therefore in conjunction with other concerned Jews in Frankfurt, Hans formed a trade school known as “ALERN WERKSTADT”.

In 1937, Rosy, who was a social worker, learned from friends in the civil service that the Nazi Storm Troopers, the “SS”, had Hans’ name on the list of arrests for the following day for crimes against the Nazi Regime.

Without losing precious time, Rosy orchestrated their escape. They first landed in Canada, with their friend Heinz Warshaw. Then shortly after they came to New York. Hans and Rosy both loved children, however establishing their new life in the United States and needing to support Rosy’s Mother took priority.

In the 1940s, Hans and Rosy were working at a residential boarding school called Kohut, located in the Cold Springs Harbor area in upstate New York, where they met Arthur Schwartz who was a student at the school. Together, they formed a foster parent family for Arthur. About the same time as Arthur’s graduation from Kohut, Hans became executive director of the Inwood JCC, located in upper Manhattan, which had a robust German and Austrian community. He introduced programs of educational and recreational nature which grew the agency as a focal point for children’s after school activities as well as facilitating adult discussion groups to help immigrants. He also established a forum for theatrical and musical expression focused on eastern culture. 

With the success of the program, came the creation and joining of the Washington Heights and Inwood YMYHA with the Inwood JCC. These programs attracted substantial funding by NY Federation of Jewish Philanthropies and the National Jewish Welfare Board.

The committee to honor Hans and Rosy’s charitable contributions to society was then formed, represented by people from all ages and backgrounds, all who worked for Hans currently or in the recent past. Hans refused to limit people due to lack of formal education and appreciated hardships and life realities that some had to overcome. He identified the experience, intuition, and personal characteristics of the candidate, always seeking to facilitate success for the person in achieving their interests and dreams. This principle lives on through the Epstein Memorial Fund.