The family of Karen Rothman, the third grade teacher who died suddenly on November 16th in a Park Slope restaurant, requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Foundation Rwanda, a
non-profit organization established to fund secondary school education
for children born from rapes committed during the genocide in Rwanda
and links their mothers to existing psychological and medical services.
The cause of Rothman’s death is still not certain. Someone familiar with the situation told me that the autopsy was inconclusive, but it was clear that Rothman did not die of an aneursym.
I’m not sure if Rothman had a direct connection with Foundation Rwanda, but it sounds like they do very valuable work.
Rothman, who grew up in Brooklyn Heights, taught at PS 321 since 2007 She received her master’s degree from the Bank Street College of Education and taught at the Lycee Francais de New York prior to PS 321. An article in the Brooklyn Eagle quotes PS 321 principal Elizabeth Phillips:
“She wanted to do her best for her kids; she worked very hard at that. She took work home, and she was always thinking and planning how to do the best possible job she could. “She had just written report card narratives for most of the kids. Reading them, you can see how well she knew her students, how dedicated to moving them forward. I gathered the kids together to talk about this tragedy, and they spoke about their memories of Karen. One child talked about how much he loved learning French from her. There were 23 kids; we went around the room, and each spoke something in French they learned from her. It was very moving. It’s something that will stay with them forever.
A memorial service was held at Congregation Beth Elohim. One friend who attended said that the room was packed with relatives, friends, and colleagues. Rabbi Andy Bachman presided over the service. Just last August he married the couple at the Picnic House in Prospect Park.
Rothman and her husband Andrew Freed were expecting their first child. Her son was delivered by emergency caesarian section, but died later.
To donate:
www.foundationrwanda.org
Foundation Rwanda
241 Avenue of Americas 14C
New York, NY 10014
.
well karen was my 6th grade teacher in 2006-2007 and although i feel like we her students were forgotten it still is affecting us all. She taught at the JREC complex and its really sad. RIP karen
Karen did not have a connection with Foundation Rwanda, per se, but we had very recently been speaking about our becoming involved with philanthropies. She indicated that she wanted to support something that was directed to helping women/girls in underdeveloped countries. Foundation Rwanda pairs that desire with her love of teaching and education, and was, therefore, a perfect choice.
Thank you for reporting this and the continued support of the community.
Andrew Fried