SAMUEL KLAGSBRUN

1932 - 2023

KLAGSBRUN--Dr. Samuel C., born September 23, 1932, died peacefully at home on November 11, 2023. A brilliant psychiatrist, he touched thousands of lives as founder and executive medical director of Four Winds Hospitals in Katonah and Saratoga Springs, New York. He was also a professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the Jewish Theological Seminary, and on the faculties of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and the Yale University School of Medicine. But there is so much more. He was nationally known for the work he did on psychological challenges facing cancer patients, for his innovative approach to medical ethics and issues of death and dying, and for his lifelong devotion to improving hospice care. He spent time every year lecturing at St. Christopher's Hospice in London and eulogized its founder Dame Cicely Saunders at Westminster Abbey. He was passionate in advocating for and treating women in abusive relationships. In one highly publicized case, he defended Hedda Nussbaum who had been battered and traumatized by Joel Steinberg, leading to her recovery and Steinberg's imprisonment. A leader in the community, he was one of the founders of Or Zarua, a Conservative congregation, and a board member of the American Jewish Committee, the Schechter Manhattan School, and the HealthCare Chaplaincy. Born in Antwerp, Belgium, he emigrated with his parents to Manhattan, where he attended the Ramaz school, Yeshiva High School, City College and the Jewish Theological Seminary. He received his medical degree from Chicago Medical School and completed his residency at Yale New Haven Hospital. He served as a psychiatrist at the New London Submarine Base where he held the rank of Lt. Commander, and retained a lifelong love of sailing. He and his beloved wife of 68 years, Francine, met at Camp Ramah in the Poconos. She worked as an editor to help support his medical studies, and became an author in her own right. She survives him, as does his adored daughter Sarah and son-in-law Eric Weinstein, and cherished grandchildren, Eliana, Benji, and Ari. Everyone who knew him will miss his optimism, never-ending kindness and sweet smile. A recording of the funeral service may be viewed at: www.plazajewishcommunitychapel.org Contributions in Sam's memory may be made to Camp Ramah in the Berkshires or Congregation Or Zarua.