Roslyn Moskowitz

Albany – Roslyn (Berman) Moskowitz, 100, was born in Brooklyn, NY on February 27, 1923. Roz was an early and outspoken feminist. She was born into a Jewish family which valued education equality for both sexes. She graduated from James Madison High School in 1941 and shortly thereafter married her beloved Murray Moskowitz (d. 1995). They were married for 54 years. After her first child was born she left college, but later resumed her studies and graduated from Brooklyn College with a BA in 1946.

Roz never shied from any conversation, no matter the subject, and was fond of sending people to the dictionary to “look it up!” In 1954, after reading Simone de Beauvoir’s feminist anthem, “The Second Sex”, Roz found the answer to housewife’s malaise by enrolling in and graduating from Queens College in 1956, with an MS in library science. Her master’s thesis was on remote teaching using television, anticipating Zoom remote learning by over 60 years! She then began a 30-year career as a library education teacher at Floral Park High School and subsequently became head librarian administrator in the Sewanhaka Central High School District on Long Island.

Roz instilled her love of learning and belief in the equality of the sexes into her two sons, Ivor (Terry, d. 2022) and Steven (Paula) Moskowitz, as well as her three granddaughters, Carly (Lev McClain), Laura (Mitchell Vaccaro) and Lisa (Tyler Hoerz). While Roz was not a fan of cooking, no one went hungry in her house. And though she did not often bake cookies, she left her family an appreciation of the arts and tolerance as a legacy. Her granddaughters enjoyed trips with her to museums and concerts; her sons always had the latest library books to read as they grew up.

Roz was a person who stayed involved with the world, took pleasure in good conversation and the give-and-take of everyday life. She was a life member of Hadassah and served as a President of her local chapter. But, little known facts, she also had a secret passion for watching The Home Shopping Network and enjoyed an occasional beer. Roz was active and vibrant and a gift to her friends and family (including her eight great-grandchildren: Molly, Eden, Skylar, Indra, Reilly, Bryson, Cooper and Chase) She hated pretention and preferred people to be direct and to the point. She was well loved and we will always miss her.

The family wishes to thank and express gratitude to The Massry Residence and Daughters of Sarah Nursing Facility staff.

Those wishing to remember Roz in a special way can make memorial contributions in her name to a charity of their choice or Planned Parenthood of Albany in honor of Roz’s fierce commitment to justice and equality.

Funeral services for Roz will be officiated by Rabbi Dan Ornstein and held on Tuesday April 18th at 10:00 am at The Levine Memorial Chapel, 649 Washington Ave. in Albany. Burial will follow at New Montefiore Cemetery in Farmingdale, NY. Shiva will be held privately with family. 

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