Herbert B. Safran

Herbert Safran, of Chestnut Hill, NJ (formerly of Galloway, NJ; Mt. Laurel, NJ; Richmond, VA; and Clifton Park, NY), passed away from natural causes on Friday, August 31, 2017. He was 84 years old. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Lillian Safran, and their three children, Linda Safran (Adam Cohen) of Toronto, Canada; Alan Safran (Dana Safran) of Newton, MA, and Laurie Safran (Jim Cannon) of Bethesda, MD; and six grandchildren, Sarah and Rachel Gefen, Alison, Michael, and Caroline Safran; and Josiah Cohen.

Herb was born in Albany, NY, to Benjamin and Esther. Ben emigrated from Warsaw to the US as a teenager and married Esther Cohen in Great Barrington, MA. They had a wholesale candy business in Oneonta, NY. Herb attended Oneonta High School, and then earned his bachelor’s degree (1955) and his master’s degree (1956) from the SUNY-Albany Teachers College. He was also an actor, performing in summer stock in Plymouth, MA, and elsewhere. Later in life, he had cameo roles on public television.

He served in the US Army from 1956 to 1958, stationed at Fort Dix, NJ. He met Lillian Ecker when she was a freshman and he was a junior at SUNY Albany. They married in 1956 and enjoyed 61 years together. Herb’s career was as a teacher and a leader of teachers. He taught high school English in Waterford-Halfmoon, NY, and then at Shenendehowa in Clifton Park, NY, where he also was Chair of the English department. He created an advanced-placement English class as well as a humanities class on Literature of the Holocaust, one of the first of its kind in the United States. He subsequently met the Holocaust survivor, writer, and Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel on several occasions. At Waterford-Halfmoon, he ran Saturday-morning sessions on Shakespeare, bringing chocolate-chip cookies and hot chocolate for students who were hungry for knowledge. After retiring from teaching, he kept active as a contributor to the Cherry Hill, NJ, Jewish Voice. In lieu of flowers, the family invites friends who would like to honor Herb to donate to the Herb Safran Scholarship Award for the Most Promising Writer in the Senior Class at Shenendehowa HS. Checks can be mailed c/o Alan Safran, 10 Laudholm Rd., Newton, MA 02458.

Services will be private.