By Gary Rotto
ENCINITAS, California — My father, Daniel Rotto, a founding member of Congregation Dor Hadash who later served as a president of the Reconstructionist congregation, has died at age 89 at Seacrest Village Retirement Community here.
Many of the early meetings of Congregation Dor Hadash were held in the Rotto home, and the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation, the international body of Reconstructionist congregations, awarded the Judith and Ira Eisenstein Award to him in 2005.
Born Melvin Daniel Rotto in Brooklyn in 1923 to Solomon King Rotto and Hannah Kanner Rotto, he died on August 4, 2012. Rotto enlisted in the US Army at the outbreak of World War II, serving stateside in contracts and procurement. He rose to the rank of Chief Petty Officer before discharge. Later he attended Columbia University graduating in 1947 with a Bachelor in Science and earned his Masters in Business Administration from New York University in 1949.
Rotto was a principal in the New York accounting firm of Siegel and Rotto before leaving for corporate positions with Ross Products and Para Manufacturing. At Para, he rose to the position of corporate treasurer and president of the Detecto Scales division, based in Cranford, New Jersey. He later moved to El Paso, Texas to join his cousin Bernie Lauterbach in the accounting firm of Lauterbach and Borschow, the largest independent CPA firm in West Texas. He retired in 1981 due to a heart attack and relocated to La Jolla.
He was always active in Jewish life, serving as president of the junior congregation at an Orthodox synagogue in Brooklyn, and later maintaining membership in various Reform and Conservative congregations in New York, New Jersey and El Paso. He participated in a legendary debate at the Park Avenue Synagogue around the decision to count women in a minyan. And he was active in B’nai B’rith lodges in Westfield, New Jersey and El Paso.
After founding Congregation Dor Hadash, he and his wife, Helene, we introduced to and became members of the Whittier Havurah, the oldest havurah in the US. Rotto is survived by his wife, Helene, four children and five grandchildren: Gary Rotto and daughter Kelila of San Diego, Howard and Deborah Spergel, Beth and Mathew, of New York; Ilene and Kent Brosstrom of Rockville, Maryland; Diane and Robert Karmen, Jonathan and Tyler of Westbury Connecticut. Rotto is survived by his wife, Helene; and four children, Deborah (Howard) Spergel of New York; Ilene (Kent) Brosstrom of Rockville, Maryland; Diane (Robert) Karmen of Westbury, Connecticut, and me, a San Diego resident. Dad also had five grandchildren: Kelila Rotto; Beth and Matthew Spergel; and Jonathan and Tyler Karmen.
Services were held August 7 at Congregation Dor Hadash. Contributions in Rotto’s memory may be made to the Library Fund of the congregation at 4858 Ronson Ct, San Diego, California 92111.
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Gary Rotto is a freelance writer based in San Diego. He may be contacted at gary.rotto@sdjewishworld.com