Gilda Gatov Schwartz was born in Jersey City in 1923 where she grew up. She was the daughter of Molly Berman Gatov and William Gatov. She attended NYU part-time and earned an education degree. Her first teaching job was in a one-room schoolhouse in Hunterdon County where she lived with her husband, Joe Schwartz, who she married in 1950.

In the late 1950s, they moved to Brooklyn, NY, and then to North Arlington, NJ,  where she began teaching in Nutley. After taking off 5 years to have two children, Béla and Paul, she returned to Nutley’s Washington School in 1963, where she taught Kindergarten until she retired in 1989.

After Béla and Paul left for college, Gilda earned her master’s degree in reading specialization at Montclair State.

Gilda and Joe (who passed away in 1996), were part of the group of Congregation B’nai Israel members who merged the Nutley shul with Congregation Shomrei Emunah in 1994.

Gilda’s family — June, Béla, Isaac, Elana, Margalit, Paul and Zemfira — feel truly blessed by Gilda’s warmth and kindness over these many years. We are fortunate to have her in our life and as part of our family.