Sheri P. Rosenberg, 48, battled injustice around the world
She was a professor at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.
ANYWHERE IN the world where injustice reared its ugly head, it wouldn't have been surprising to find Sheri Rosenberg there, fighting it.
Sheri roamed the world lecturing on human-rights law and spoke tirelessly about the evils of genocide and the plight of all victims of intolerance.
Much of her motivation stemmed from the fact that her late father, Marcus Rosenberg, survived the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz as a child, and her mother, Ann Pappenheim, escaped Vienna in 1939, a year after the Nazis took over.
Sheri P. Rosenberg, a founder and director of the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law's Human Rights and Atrocity Prevention Clinic, an associate clinical professor there, a strong supporter of Jewish institutions in Philadelphia, and a devoted wife and mother, died May 22 of complications of breast cancer. She was 48 and lived in Center City.
"The cornerstones of Sheri's life were family, Jewish institutions and combating ethnicity-based injustice," her husband, Gregg H. Kanter, a Philadelphia lawyer, wrote in a tribute.
"In every area of her life, when Sheri noticed that an injustice needed to be righted, an institution needed improvement, or a person needed help, she acted and achieved results, without drawing any attention to herself," her husband wrote.
The clinic she founded at Cardozo School of Law, the law school of Yeshiva University in New York City, won many landmark victories in its efforts to identify and prevent human-rights violations.
The clinic partnered with the United Nations special adviser on genocide to assess early warning signs of mass slaughter, and worked with the International Criminal Court's Trust for Victims to develop a field manual for identifying victims of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.
Sheri also founded and developed the clinic's Refugee Representation Project for asylum seekers.
She was the driving force in making the Cardozo Law Institute in Holocaust and Human Rights what it is today, "a robust and leading global center dedicated to strengthening laws, norms, and institutions to prevent mass atrocities," her husband wrote.
"As an associate clinical professor at Cardozo, Sheri taught international human-rights law and inspired scores of students to pursue careers in genocide prevention and post-conflict reconciliation."
On the world stage, Sheri was on the board of the Auschwitz Institute for Peace and Reconciliation. She authored the genocide-prevention chapter in the United Nations training manual.
Sheri published extensively and was co-editor of the forthcoming book, Reconstructing Atrocity Prevention. She produced a documentary, "Nuremberg: Reflection and Resonance," which traces the influence of the trials of Nazi war criminals at Nuremberg, Germany, on international tribunals investigating recent mass atrocities.
Locally, Sheri supported Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel by founding Bonim, a weekly program for children. She initiated programs to enhance the experience of the Perelman Jewish Day School's students and parents. She frequently opened her home for community events, and regularly hosted Shabbat dinners.
Sheri was born in Dallas, where her parents were leaders in the Jewish community. She earned a bachelor's degree from New York University in 1989, a law degree cum laude from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University in 1994, and a master of law with honors from Columbia University School of Law in 2003.
She and Gregg Kanter were married on Aug. 28, 2005.
"She lived the life of her dreams as she did the work she loved," her husband wrote. "By combining brilliance and intellectual honesty with a relentless work ethic, Sheri overcame obstacles, inspired international human rights students and colleagues, and made the world a better place. She has a place among the righteous."
Besides her husband, she is survived by her mother; two sons, Markus and Maurice; a daughter, Margaux; two sisters, Helen Rosenberg Waldman and Elizabeth Rosenberg Greif; and a brother, Stephen Rosenberg.
Services: A funeral service was held in Dallas on May 26. A local service is being planned for June 24 at Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel, 300 S. 18th St.