The Story of Sala Institute

Sala Institute for Child and Family Centered Care was created in 2013 through a leadership gift from Trudy Elbaum Gottesman and Robert Gottesman. It is a loving tribute to Trudyā€™s mother, Sala Bierman Elbaum.

Sala lived in Poland and was 13 years old when World War II began. At 16 years old, she was sent to slave labor and concentration camps. Tragically, Salaā€™s parents, two younger siblings, and almost all of her extended family were killed in the Holocaust.

After the war, she met and married Izak Elbaum, also a Holocaust Survivor. Together they immigrated to the United States in 1949, made a home in New York City, and raised three children. Sala devoted the rest of her life to her family, friends, and community until her death in 1978 at age 52.

Though Sala endured unimaginable suffering and loss, her warmth, resilience, and compassion prevailed. Her remarkable spirit lives on today in Sala Instituteā€™s empathic and healing care of children and families.