Dr. Walter Rothschild

His life started most tenuously in Germany where most of his family perished in the Holocaust. He was born in Frankfurt on November 21, 1926. Just before his 12th birthday, he witnessed his home destroyed on Kristallnacht. His father was taken away and briefly imprisoned at Buchenwald. Walter’s family eventually made it to America in 1939 as destitute refugees. They started over. They worked hard.

Walter returned to Vienna in 1952 to attend medical school where he met Vera, the woman of his dreams, whom he married. Theirs was a love affair that continued for more than seven decades to his last breath.

Walter and Vera returned to America after they graduated medical school. He became a psychiatrist and she became a pediatrician. Together they raised twins and were active in the lives of their 7 grandchildren, their friends, their patients and their community.

He was a gentle, generous, brilliant and loving husband, father, grandfather, teacher, physician, counselor, and so much more. He was witty and engaging. His passions were his family, his medical profession and his community. He enjoyed art, photography, literature, philosophy, chess, music and traveling.

He was one of the founding physicians of the Valley Beth Shalom Counseling Center and was its medical director for many years. He was most proud that the counseling center helped people of all denominations and encouraged clients to pay only as they were able. No one was ever turned away because of an inability to pay.

He trained and mentored many paraprofessionals and physicians, supervised residents at Cedars Sinai Medical Center, was the chief of Psychiatry at Kaiser in Los Angeles, and cared for tens of thousands of patients in his 56 years of practice.

His last purposeful and conscious effort was to blow Vera, the love of his life, one final kiss.

We thank you for your wishes and prayers and support during this difficult time. He was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, friend, teacher, physician, counselor... You were so special to him as you are to us.

If you would like to join the celebration of his life, it will begin at 1:00 PM this Wednesday, March 31st and may be viewed online via Zoom. Here are the Link, meeting ID and Passcode:

https://zoom.us/j/94749966260?pwd=U2FhZGJmcFNHcWNvQXJDUHc1cFgzQT09

Meeting ID: 947 4996 6260

Passcode: 108180

Also, if you would like to leave a memory about Opi, we invite you to do so using the following link: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/mission-hills-ca/walter-rothschild-10128689.

Your thoughts and love are all the presents we could ever want. However, if you wish to make a donation in Opi’s memory, he would have been honored if you donated to the Valley Beth Shalom Counseling Center which was a program that he helped found and was their medical director for so many years. Alternatively, you could donate to the Alzheimer's Foundation at Alzfdn.org or to any other charity of your choice.

Remember the good times. Love and cherish each other dearly and treasure the moments we share. In so doing, you do yourselves and Opi honor.

You are so important to us. We love you all.

The Rothschild and Klein Families