Remembering Rabbi Everett Gendler P’83, ’86

Rabbi Everett E. Gendler passed away peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, on the evening of April 1, 2022, in Sarasota, Florida. A funeral service was held Monday, April 4, in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.

Andover’s first Jewish chaplain, Gendler worked part-time at Phillips Academy in 1976 and was appointed to a full-time position in 1977, serving as the leader of the school’s Jewish community until retirement in 1995. During his tenure, Gendler also served as a mentor and advisor as well as an instructor in philosophy and religious studies. He was a champion for civil rights, repeatedly marching with members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in Alabama during the 1960s, where he became well-acquainted with Martin Luther King Jr., and he later became known as a leader in Jewish environmentalism.

Alumni often remarked that while Gendler was small in stature, he was a giant on campus.

Gendler is survived by his wife, Mary, and daughters Tamar Szabo Gendler ’83 and Naomi Gendler Camper ’86.

Read a tribute to Rabbi Gendler in The Forward.

From The Archives

• Continuing the Journey | Andover Bulletin, spring 1995 — Looking back, and forward, as Rabbi Gendler retires
• Non Sibi For Life | Andover magazine, spring 2014 — The Gendler Grapevine