Former Madison resident Rebecca Nathenson died April 27 in Milwaukee, where she moved five years ago to be near her niece, Eve Dicker (Bob) Eiseman of Mequon. She was 92.
Born in Russia, she came to Madison at the age of 10, with her mother and two sisters, joining her father who had arrived seven years earlier.
She graduated from Madison’s Central High School in 1930 as class salutatorian. In 1934, she graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in social work and later earned a Master’s degree in Russian from Middlebury College. She also completed all required course work for a doctoral degree in Russian from New York University, but elected not to submit a dissertation for a formal degree, according to her family.
For most of her life she worked as a social worker, first in Eau Claire, and then in the New York City public school system until she retired after almost 35 years.
“She was a brilliant conversationalist with a vast intellect, especially in literature and history. She had fervent views regarding political ideology, the rights of minorities and the place of women in history. She participated in early civil rights marches on Washington, D.C., and in the South,” and also traveled the world, her family said.
She was preceded in death by her sisters Rose Rabinovitz and Hilda Barash. In addition to her niece, she is survived by niece Miriam Rabinovitz, of Oakland, Calif., and nephew Harvey (Trudy) Barash, M.D., of Madison.
Rabbi Kenneth Katz officiated at graveside services on April 30. Burial was in Forest Hill Cemetery, Madison.
Memorials to Beth Israel Center, Abraham Barash Fund for Handicapped Services, 1406 Mound St., Madison, WI 53711, or Vitas Hospice Foundation, 2675 N. Mayfair Rd., Suite 500, Milwaukee, WI 53226, would be appreciated by the family.
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