Esthy Adler

Esthy was born in East Prussia shortly before the outbreak of World War Two. As a young child, she experienced the trauma of the Holocaust in a personal way, losing both parents and living on the run. She was shot on multiple occasions and imprisoned in what was probably Treblinka, before it was set up as a death camp. Eventually escaping the Nazis, Esthy managed to survive the war and even thrive. She ended up at an orphanage in France, where she began to attend school at the age of eleven. Catching up with her peers rapidly, Esthy attended university in Paris at the normal age and graduated with a degree in Philosophy.

At the age of 19, Esthy met her future husband James Adler (Jim) at an afternoon tea dance in Heidelberg, Germany. Following two years of sporadic dating across Germany and France, they were married in Paris in 1956 and embarked on their lives together as a married couple in Manhattan.

Adjusting quickly to a strange country with no support system or friends, Esthy’s facility with languages landed her a job at the French Film Office. That was followed by a position working for the delegation of the Kingdom of Laos to the UN, and then a stint in the promotional department at Henry Holt Publishers.

In 1960, Esthy gave birth to a daughter, Laura, and became a full time mother. In 1964, Eric was born, completing the family. In 1969, when Jim came up with a new business idea that required relocating to Washington, DC, Esthy agreed. Shortly thereafter, Congressional Information Service (CIS) took shape and grew from 3 employees to over 300 in less than 10 years. The success of CIS allowed Esthy and Jim to sell the company and use part of the proceeds to fund their dream of starting a publishing house, Adler & Adler, which published mostly non-fiction and memoirs by well-known national and international figures.

During this period, in the 1980’s, Esthy followed her passion for the performing arts by joining the boards of The Arena Stage and the Washington Opera. She and Jim also gave generous financial support to multiple Washington, DC arts organizations over the remainder of Esthy’s life.

Esthy had a passionate love of reading and was a member of several book clubs over the years. She also enjoyed entertaining and socializing with her many friends, and was able to travel extensively internationally and domestically.

Esthy is survived by her husband, James Adler (Jim) of Chevy Chase, Maryland; her daughter, Laura Adler McGrew, and son-in-law, Lindley McGrew, of Lewes, Delaware; her son, Eric Adler, and daughter-in-law, Suzanne Myers Adler, of Bethesda, Maryland; her granddaughter, Amy McGrew Wixted, and grandson-in-law Colin Wixted; her grandson, Michael Adler McGrew; her granddaughter, Lauren Adler; and her grandson, Cameron Adler.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be directed to The SEED Foundation in Esthy’s memory at

https://www.seedfoundation.com/donation-page