John Jacob Rothschild

1920 - 2018

John Jacob Rothschild

Louisville - died on Thursday, March 15, 2018 at his home. John was a native of Zurich, Switzerland, born March 12, 1920 to Samuel and Selma Rothschild. He was a holocaust survivor, risking his life by traveling from Switzerland to occupied France to rescue his then fiance', Renee who was being held in a detention camp. They escaped to Switzerland, married on December 5, 1942 and moved to Pontiac, Michigan in 1951. He was a mechanical engineer and received his degree in Switzerland. He worked for George Fischer Engineering in Switzerland, Pontiac Motors, General Motors and Bloomfield Engineering before retiring in 1990. In 2003, he and Renee moved to Louisville to be near family. They spent the last several years telling their story about surviving the holocaust to local schools. Their story was featured in the Courier Journal March 26, 2013. John was a member of Congregation Adath Jeshurun.

He was preceded in death by his dear wife of 75 years, Renee, 7 weeks ago. He is survived by his children, Sylvia Kerpel (Michael) and Dr. Armand Rothschild (Marylee); his grandsons, Martin Kerpel (Melissa), David Kerpel (Erin), Dr. Daniel Rothschild (Rachel) and Nathan Rothschild; and five great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be 11:00 AM Sunday March 18th at Herman Meyer & Son Inc., 1338 Ellison Avenue, with burial to follow in Adath Jeshurun Cemetery. Visitation will begin after 10:00 AM. Expressions of sympathy may be made to the John and Renee Rothschild Siddurim Fund or the Rothschild Education Fund at Congregation Adath Jeshurun.