Sigmund Tobias

Sigmund Tobias of Sarasota, Florida passed away after a brief illness on January 31, 2023. He was born in Berlin, Germany on November 26, 1932 to Frieda Rivka and Moses Tobias. After Kristallnacht in 1938, his family realized they needed to leave Europe but had few options to emigrate. Eventually they obtained transit visas for Japanese-occupied Shanghai, where they remained from 1939 to 1948 in a one-square mile area known as the Shanghai Ghetto which served as home to 23,000 Jews seeking refuge. Sigmund Tobias recounts his wartime experience in his memoir Strange Haven: A Jewish Childhood in Wartime Shanghai (University of Illinois Press, 1999). The book portrays the monumental historical events he witnessed alongside the hardships he faced. It also chronicles his budding intellectual life at the Mir Yeshiva, which was to shape his future endeavors. Sigmund Tobias emigrated to the US in 1948, followed by his parents in 1949. He received his BA in Psychology from the City College of New York in 1955. It was during that time that he met Lora (née Sussman) Tobias on a blind date at CCNY’s Lewisohn Stadium. They married in 1955 and she remained his constant companion till the end. In 1960, he received his PhD from Columbia University, and after a brief stint teaching at Brooklyn College, he joined the faculty at the City University of New York, where he was a professor until 1997. Although his doctorate was in clinical psychology, he became a leader in the field of educational psychology. He published over 150 scholarly articles on metacognition and computer-assisted instruction and was elected president of the American Psychological Association's Division for Educational Psychology. Sigmund loved skiing, tennis and credited his wife Lora with cultivating his love of opera, travel, and fine cuisine. He was a regular participant at services in Sarasota, first at Kol HaNeshama and then at Temple Beth Sholom. Above all he cherished his family and nothing gave him greater joy than spending time with them. He is survived by his wife Lora Tobias (Sarasota), daughters Susan Tobias (Denver) and Rochelle Tobias (Baltimore), sons-in-law Alan Schapiro (Denver) and Ashvin V. Rajan (Baltimore), and grandchildren Jessica Schapiro (Chicago) and Daniel Schapiro (Paris). Donations can be made in his name to HIAS and the Anti-Defamation League.

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Sigmund Tobias

November 26, 1932 - January 31, 2023