Paul Rosenzweig

Paul Rosenzweig, 79, died on Saturday, September 26, 2026. Paul is survived by his wife and partner of 50 years, Miriam Bailin; his children, Will Rosenzweig and Caroline Rosenzweig; his grandsons, Ari and Ben Rosenzweig; his nieces, Laurel and Karyn Singer; his daughter-in-law, Noa Holtzman, and son-in-law, Jacob Greenblum.

He was predeceased by his beloved father and mother, Simon Rosenzweig and Margaret Lybolt Rosenzweig, and his sister, Anne Singer.

Paul was born on October 21, 1946 in New York City. He grew up with his parents and sister in White Plains, New York before attending college at Cornell University and then obtaining his PhD in English Literature from the University of Michigan.

After traveling the world and spending a year as a visiting professor at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Paul became an assistant professor in the English Department at the University of Haifa in Israel from 1975 to 1987. It was in his first year there that he met his beloved life partner, Miriam, who had moved from New York to work in Haifa.

From there, Paul moved with Miriam and their baby son to Gambier, Ohio for an academic year at Kenyon College before moving to Clayton, Missouri in 1988. They had their daughter the next year. Paul spent the next 27 years teaching at Washington University in St. Louis as a senior lecturer in English literature, with a focus on 19th and 20th century American literature, until his retirement in 2015.

Paul loved to read, travel, and tend his garden, but, above all, he loved his family. He was intensely loyal with a fierce moral purpose and strong sense of self, and yet he also held a deep appreciation for complexity and nuance. Together, these qualities made him wise, understanding, compassionate, and full of life. He was always there for others, especially his family. He will be greatly missed.

A Memorial Service will be held at Berger Memorial Chapel, 9430 Olive Blvd., Olivette, MO 63132, on October 5, 2026, at 3:00 pm, with no visitation prior to service.