YIVO Mourns the Passing of Allan Gerson, z”l (1945-2019)

YIVO mourns the passing of former YIVO board member Allan Gerson. Allan served as a member of the YIVO board from 2008-2012.

Allan was a lawyer and legal scholar who paved the way for lawsuits against states that sponsored terrorist attacks. He was perhaps best known for his role in the case against the Libyan government in the Lockerbie affair which killed 259 people.  He became a leader in the battle for justice for those whose lives have been torn apart by terrorism.

Mr. Gerson was also an author, ­private-practice lawyer, former professor at George Mason University and deputy assistant attorney general under President Ronald Reagan

In his early career as a lawyer he pursued Nazi war criminals who had immigrated to the US and later became senior counsel to two US ambassadors to the United Nations. He was also a notable photographer and jewelry maker.

In 1969, Allan received his law degree from New York University. In 1972, he received his Master of Laws degree in international law from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In 1976, he received a Doctor of Juridical Science degree from Yale Law School. He has taught international law at several institutions and authored many books which include:  The Price of Terror (HarperCollins, 2001; co-authored with Jerry Adler), Lawyers’ Ethics: Contemporary Dilemmas (1980), Israel, The West Bank and International Law (1978), The Kirkpatrick Mission: Diplomacy Without Apology (1991), and Privatizing Peace: From Conflict to Security (2002).

Alan was a child of Jewish Refugees from the Holocaust and made a truly significant contribution to humanity through his work against terrorism. YIVO is proud to have had him as a Board member and is very grateful for his involvement with the organization.

On behalf of the YIVO Board and staff we extend our deepest condolences and sympathies to his wife, Joan Nathan, his daughters Daniela and Merissa, his son, David, his two grandchildren, and to his brother, Sam.