The history of Sagel Bloomfield Danzansky Goldberg Funeral Care begins in 1920 with the establishment of Danzansky Funeral Parlor, which quickly became a pillar of the Greater Washington Jewish community through their involvement and charitable endeavors. In the late 1960s, Danzansky merged with Goldberg to become Danzansky-Goldberg Chapels and in the 1970s, they moved from Washington DC to Rockville

After graduating Towson University in 1988, Edward Sagel went to Atlanta, Georgia to attend mortuary school. He joined Pi Sigma Eta, the National Mortician’s Fraternity, that year and was certified by the National Mortician’s board in the summer of 1989. Once his apprenticeship had concluded, he returned to his home state of Maryland in 1991 and began his career with the Goldberg Family at Danzansky-Goldberg Memorial Chapels. When they were presented with the opportunity, the Goldberg family sold their interest in the company to Service Corporation International/Dignity Memorial later that year.

Meanwhile, Albert Bloomfield graduated from University of Maryland in 1992 and returned to his home state of New Jersey to attend Mercer Community College Mortuary Program while serving his apprenticeship at Bloomfield-Cooper Jewish Chapels est. 1978 by his father and grandfather. He was licensed in 1993 and moved into a managerial role.

In 1994, Ed decided that he would create a retail store front funeral home with a new approach to the industry that would cater to the needs of the Jewish Community while keeping costs to the families low, thus, with the help of Larry Shulman and Don Rogers, Edward Sagel Funeral Direction was born. Within a couple of years, Ed built a great reputation within the community and decided in 1996 to sell his company to Service Corporation International/Dignity Memorial. That same year, Bloomfield-Cooper Jewish Chapels was sold to the same company.

Dignity Memorial realized very quickly that Ed and Al were well respected experts with deep ties within their respective communities. SCI retained Ed to manage both Edward Sagel Funeral Direction and Danzansky-Goldberg Memorial Chapels and retained Al to manage all three locations of Bloomfield-Cooper Jewish Chapels. The firms continued to thrive under their management.

In 1997, Albert started offering monuments at Bloomfield-Cooper. He offered both bronze memorials on granite bases and all granite markers such as footstones, single uprights, double uprights and family markers, benches, estates and many civic group and private business memorials.

In 2009, Albert was elected as the president of the Jewish Funeral Directors of America, a prestigious trade association, which both Ed and Al joined once they were licensed.

Ed was given the opportunity to purchase Edward Sagel Funeral Direction and Danzansky-Goldberg Memorial Chapel from SCI in 2014 with the hopes of creating a strong future in the Greater Washington Area that would ease the burden of high prices and give outstanding service to families from all walks of life, while strengthening relationships within the community. Needing a trustworthy industry expert to partner with, Ed knew exactly who he wanted to work with and presented Albert with the opportunity to co-purchase the firms and go into business together. Thus, Sagel Bloomfield Danzansky Goldberg Funeral Care was born.

Albert moved to the area with his family and immediately began putting down roots and connecting with the local Jewish community by joining Temple Beth Ami and the Bender JCC of Greater Washington.

Later that year, with Albert’s experience and expertise in the monument business, Sagel Bloomfield Danzansky Goldberg Funeral Care created a monument division to bring the community fair and honest pricing with superior service and experience.

In 2015, Sagel Bloomfield Danzansky Goldberg Funeral Care moved from the old Danzansky building across the street to the upper floor of the Talbot center.

Following in the path left by Danzansky Funeral Parlor, Sagel Bloomfield Funeral Care continues to be active in the community with our support of temples, hospice organizations, cemeteries, and a variety of other Jewish nonprofit organizations.

Albert joined the Jewish Community Relations Council as a board member in 2017 and currently serves as treasurer. He joined the Amity Club of Washington in 2019 and currently serves as the chairman of their hospitality committee.

Ed is a long-standing member of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.

In 2020, Ed and Al established Forever Faithful Pet Cremation and Funeral Care, expanding our dedicated service to the beloved pets in our community. That same year, Albert begins his second term as the president of the JFDA; he still holds that office today.

Looking into 2023, we continue to grow and innovate to better serve our community. Plans for a new building and enabling families to make arrangements remotely mark our unwillingness to stagnate and the introduction of green burial options demonstrate our forward-thinking approach, one that honors both the environment and our Jewish values. We have also welcomed Daniel Bloomfield as a fourth-generation funeral director for his apprenticeship.

Throughout these transformative years, Sagel Bloomfield Danzansky Goldberg Funeral Care has never lost sight of our core values—compassion, community, and care. Our journey, defined by genuine connections and meaningful services, continues to touch the lives of those we are privileged to serve.