Sara Rothberg

Sara Rothberg, 93, of Tinton Falls died Dec. 22, 2010. She had emigrated from the Ukraine with her family at the age of five and lived in Manchester for many years.

Mrs. Rothberg graduated from New York University at age 19 with a BS in chemistry. In the 1940s, she became a chemist for the City of Newark’s Board of Health. She was frequently called upon to testify in court in cases of food poisoning and mislabeling. She and her associates were among the first to point out the dangers of lead poisoning to inner-city children, and she also worked on early cases of radiation poisoning of manufacturing workers.

After her retirement in 1985, she engaged her love of sculpture and gave showings at several New Jersey galleries. Most recently, she wrote poetry about life in old age.

Sara suffered with heart problems her entire life. At age 30, her doctor told her she would not live to see 60. She approached her disease with a scientific outlook, however, and was able to manage it.

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Predeceased by her husband, Joseph, in 2000, she is survived by her son, Burton of New York City; a brother, Abraham Goldfarb of Dallas, Texas; and two grandchildren.

Services were held with arrangements by Bloomfield-Cooper Jewish Chapels, Ocean. Memorial contributions may be made to the Israel Orphanage for Girls in Jerusalem, P.O. Box 207, Jerusalem, Israel.