obituaries
Professor of Medicine Gerald Escovitz
Passes Away at 85
BY GALL SIGLER
G erald Escovitz, retired pro-
fessor of medicine and board
member at Freire Charter
School, passed away on May 29th. He
was 85 years old.

Born and raised in Boston, Escovitz
attended Boston Latin School, the
oldest operating school in the United
States. A life-long fan of the Red
Sox, Escovitz used to hang outside of
Fenway Park with friends in his youth,
hoping to catch fly balls.

Together with his best friend since he
was six years old, Paul Daum, Escovitz
matriculated in Harvard. Following
graduation in 1958, they embarked on
a motorcycle trip in Europe, which
Karen Escovitz said in an email to the
Exponent, “was the source of many
stories, or maybe just a few that were
told many times.”
Escovitz went on to receive his med-
ical degree at State University of New
York Downstate in Brooklyn.

Escovitz’s interest in medicine was
entwined with a passion for educa-
tion. In 1969, Escovitz became assistant
professor and deputy director of the
regional medical program at Jefferson
Medical College, later the Sidney
Kimmel Medical College at Thomas
Jefferson University.

Escovitz later went on to work at the
Medical College of Philadelphia for
three decades as a doctor, professor and
vice dean.

Escovitz’s dedication to education did
not falter when he faced professional
challenges. In 1994, the Medical School of
Gerald Escovitz at his 85th birthday with his daughters Karen Escovitz and Lisa
Kerness. 
Courtesy of Karen Escovitz
Philadelphia and Hahnemann University
merged into Allegheny University of the
Health Sciences. Four years later, the
school declared bankruptcy and was
bought off by a corporation.

“I believe he was faced with hard
choices about whether to stay in an
environment that no longer demon-
strated values he held as important. He
did for a while, but ultimately left,” says
Karen Escovitz.

Escovitz contributed to the field as
a researcher as well. He co-authored
numerous papers on medical education,
healthcare and other related topics.

Escovitz’s retirement did not put an
end to his resolve to contribute to the
education field, on the contrary. Since
2001, Escovitz has served on the board
of Freire Charter School in numerous
capacities, including vice chair, trea-
surer and chair of the education com-
mittee. From 2014 to 2020, Escovitz
22 JULY 14, 2022 | JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
served as chair of the board.

“He was able to use his experience
as a medical school administrator to
bring some much needed perspective
and support to this developing school
which is dedicated to college-prep level
education for all- and primarily serves
kids from the poorer communities in
Philly. He was very proud of what
they had accomplished and built,” says
Karen Escovitz.

Escovitz oversaw 2,500 students
graduating from Freire. In a meeting
on June 9th, the Freire Board expressed
its gratitude to Escovitz’s work.

“Gerry always believed in the right
for every student to have the best, top-
notch college prep education regard-
less of race, background, zip code, or
experience,” mentioned the meeting’s
minutes. Although Jewish observance was not
stressed in the Escovitz household, the