Albert Nadler

November 5, 1925 – October 8, 2025

Albert Nadler passed away peacefully in his home at the age of 99 after a life that was both long and well lived.

Albert was born in the city of Oradea, Romania where he lived a happy life with his parents and younger sisters. He was doted on by his aunts.

During the Holocaust, Albert managed to avoid death when Romania began to deport Jews to death camps due to having technical skills acquired from attending a technical high school, and was instead put to work as a slave laborer. His entire family perished in the death camps.

He worked in various Nazi munitions factories in Germany and other parts of Nazi-occupied Europe, at one point working in a factory that produced V2 rockets under the direction of Wernher von Braun, the famous rocket scientist who went on to lead NASA’s rocket program.

He seems to have been born under a lucky star, with many scrapes and close calls that he somehow survived. These included being shot while trying to escape from a moving train, and surviving the obliteration of the German munitions factories under Allied bombing. But it was his unfailing sweet personality and good spirits in the face of adversity that was his most winning character. Even the Nazis could be won over by him. On one occasion, his coat was stolen and when he went to get a new one from the commissary, the guard made a point of giving him the warmest coat. His fellow prisoners also took care of him, making sure that he ate enough to survive.

After the war, he emigrated to the US, where he married Marta, a fellow Hungarian-speaking survivor from Slovakia, eventually settling in Forest Hills. While his dream after surviving the Holocaust had been to become a doctor, due to the non-recognition of his European medical studies by New York State, he opted instead to become a physical therapist, and obtained degrees from NYU. He supported his family while in school in part by going door to door selling neckties and brushes and also as a carpet salesman.

Ultimately, Albert became a well-known and successful physical therapist, with a thriving practice on Fifth Avenue. His patients included many famous television and movie personalities, dancers, athletes, diplomats and more.

Albert and Marta created a warm and loving environment for their two children, Edmond (Edi) and Peter. He was a devoted family man.

He is survived by Edi and his wife, Eileen, and their children Rachel (Reuven) Katz and Adina, and Peter and his wife, Robyn, and their children Ilana and Joseph. Additionally, he was blessed with two great grandchildren.

A funeral service will be held at Schwartz Brothers-Jeffer Memorial Chapels, located at 114-03 Queens Blvd, Forest Hills, NY 11375, on October 12, 2025, from 9:30 am to 10:30 pm. The service will be available via live stream.

Following the funeral service, a committal service will take place at Mount Hebron Cemetery, 130-04 Horace Harding Expy, New York, NY 11367, on October 12, 2025, from 10:45 am to 11:45 am.