Herman Edelman

Born on Oct. 3, 1931, in Brooklyn, Herman – known by his many friends and relatives as Hymie, or Hy – was the middle son of Rebecca and Sam Edelman. He grew up in Brownsville, was a graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School and served in the Navy. In 1956, he earned a law degree from New York Law School, and remained an active alumnus, sponsoring a student scholarship.

Hy worked as a lawyer for Aetna Insurance and had a private practice for many years before returning to his education, earning a master’s in sociology from the New School and a master’s in education from Trenton State College. Those degrees paved the way for a career change, with Hy working as a high school history teacher in Middletown, N.J., and Puerto Rico.

Attending the Tanglewood Music Festival in 1967, Hy met Marta Stekelman, a young physician who had recently emigrated from Argentina. After years of globetrotting companionship, Hy and Marta married in London, England, in 1972. Four years later, their daughter, Margalit, was born in Israel.

A man of myriad interests, Hy was a prolific reader, an inveterate storyteller known for his lively wit, a curious student of life, a skilled cook, author of a biography titled “George Eliot: A Rational Life” -- and a passionate fan of horse racing. Freehold, Aqueduct, Monmouth, Meadowlands, Belmont, Yonkers, Roosevelt …Hy hit all the tracks.

Hy is survived by his wife, Dr. Marta Stekelman; his daughter, Margalit Edelman; his brother, Irving Edelman (Linda Barucky), and nieces, nephews and cousins.

The funeral will be held at 12pm on Thursday June 29th, 2023 at Bloomfield-Cooper Jewish Chapels, 2130 Kings Highway, Ocean Township, NJ.

For those who wish to attend virtually, the funeral service will be available via Facebook Live. Scroll down to “Services” and click on the play-button labeled “Join Livestream”.

*NOTE: Viewers do not need to have a Facebook account to access the livestream. However, if a viewer attempts to access the link any time before 12pm on Thursday, Facebook will prompt the viewer to log in (to avoid this: viewers must wait until the link is live at 12pM)