Neil Brief, ז"ל
Ordained from HUC-JIR in 1960, he entered the US Army as a chaplain for two years and then served congregations in California and Arizona before becoming rabbi in 1971 of the Niles Township Jewish Center in Skokie, IL. After 33 years, he retired as rabbi emeritus of what is now called Ezra Habonim-The Niles Township Jewish Congregation. He founded the Niles Township Clergy Forum and was a strong community spokesperson during the Nazi rally in Skokie in 1978, when the ACLU defended the rally as a matter of free speech. He is survived by his children, Dena Wald, Deborah Hoffen, and David Brief; brother, Seymour; 10 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. His wife, Erica, died in 2014.
Burton Cohen, ז"ל
Ordained in 1957 from JTS, he also earned a PhD from the University of Chicago. He spent his entire career in Jewish education, serving as the director of Camp Ramah in Wisconsin from 1959-1974. He then became the national director of the Ramah Camps and Israel Programs, a role he was in until 1989. While the national director and following his tenure at Ramah, he was a professor of education at JTS. After his retirement, he also served as its chair. He is survived by his children, Yehuda (Ellen), Ilana, and Ayala Cohen (John) Podhoretz; four grandchildren; and sister, Bethaviva Cohen (Harry Silver). He was predeceased by his wife, Roberta, and sisters, Toby Litin, and Janet Fischer.
Emanuel S. Goldsmith, ז"ל
A protégé of Mordecai Kaplan, he was a strong religious naturalist who found his career path in Yiddish language and literature under the tutelage of Dr. Max Weinreich. He served rabbinic positions in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the New York area, and Washington, DC. He then completed a PhD in Yiddish at Brandeis in 1972. He spent the rest of his career as a professor of Yiddish at Queens College, simultaneously serving several Conservative and Reconstructionist congregations. He is survived by his children, Mirele (Richard Marker), Leizer (Sharon Bray), Hazzan Rachel (Howard Ungar); step-children Beila Sherman, Dawn Rosen (Sam z”l), Miryawm Faerman (Hillel), Tova Sherman (Joe Lang); grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. His wife, Shirley, died in 2019.
Jules Harlow, ז"ל
After ordination, he became the founding director of publications at our RA, a position he held until his retirement in 1994. His first publication was our RA’s weekday siddur (edited by Gershon Hadas). There followed The Mahzor for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur (1972) and Siddur Sim Shalom (1985). In the intervening years, other publications he worked on included the Rabbi’s Manual, Likutei T’filah, Selihot, the journal Conservative Judaism, and The Feast of Freedom. After retirement, he served the Great Synagogue in Stockholm and spent many years as a Masorti rabbi in Lisbon bringing Anusim into the Jewish people. He is survived by his wife, Navah; children, David (Heather) and Ilana (Jonathan); and five grandchildren.
Howard Hersch, ז"ל
Ordained from JTS in 1972, he served his entire career as rabbi of Sons of Israel in Trenton, NJ (now in Newton, PA). While at Sons of Israel, he also spent time as the director of Hillel at Rider College. He was involved on numerous boards, ranging from the Trenton Hebrew Academy to the Mercer County Mental Health Planning Commission and the Kingsbury Corporation for Public Housing. Most of his communal involvements were in the field of Jewish education. He is survived by his wife, Joan; children, Avra (Elie) Gordis, Seth (Renee) Hersch, Jonathan Julie) Hersch, Elicia Brand (David Leudemann), and Marni Brand (Mike Berg); sister, Judy (Marvin) Kantor; and 13 grandchildren.
David Klatkzer, ז"ל
Ordained in 1978 from RRC, he also earned a PhD in religion from Temple University. He began his career as assistant to Harold Kushner at Temple Israel in Natick, MA. He also served as rabbi at Beth Tikvah-B’nai Jeshurun in Erdenheim, PA, and then returned to the Boston area to serve as rabbi at Temple Ner Tamid in Peabody. After retirement, he became the transitional rabbi at several congregations in California, Arizona, New York, New Jersey, and the greater Chicago area. His last post as transitional rabbi was back where his career started, at Temple Israel of Natick. He is survived by his children, Micah, Judah, and Meira; and brother, Dale. His wife, Randy Katz, died in 2020.
Shlomo D. Levine, ז"ל
Ordained in 1968, he served congregations in Hampton, VA, Chicago, IL, West Palm Beach, FL, and Knoxville, TN. His longest tenure was at Congregation Ezras Habonim in Chicago. He earned a doctorate in education while in Virginia. He also served on our RA’s Executive Council and as president of the Chicago Board of Rabbis. Shlomo is survived by his wife, Annabel; children: Devorah Levine (Mike Hinckley) and Joshua Levine (Rachel); his step-children: Adam Strauss (Celia z”l) and Joshua Strauss (Anat Geva); and seven grandchildren.
David H. Lincoln, ז"ל
Born in London and a graduate of the Gateshead Yeshiva, his first posting was as rabbi in Portsmouth in the south of England. He came to the United States to become assistant rabbi at Congregation Beth Shalom in Kansas City. He then served two synagogues in the Chicago area, B’nai Zion and Beth Hillel, before being named senior rabbi at the Park Avenue Synagogue in New York in 1987. He served there until his retirement in 2008, when he was named rabbi emeritus. He traveled to many communities in danger all over the world. He was passionate about Israel and met many world leaders including US presidents and several popes. He is survived by his children, Sara, Simon, and Jonathan; and seven grandchildren. His wife, Susan, died in 2017.
Rodney Mariner, ז״ל
Born in Australia, he was ordained at the Leo Baeck College in London. He served Alyth and Edgware & District Reform Synagogue and in 1982 became the rabbi of Belsize Square Synagogue until he retired in 2011. For 22 years, he was the convener of the Rabbinical Court of the Movement for Reform Judaism and Convener of Beit Din for the European Region of the WUPJ. He is survived by his wife, Sue; children, Rocki and Simon; and six grandchildren.
Jordan Ofseyer, ז"ל
A graduate of both the cantorial and rabbinical schools of JTS, he was ordained in 1962. He marched with the Rev. Martin Luther King during the Civil Rights era while serving congregations in Connecticut and Massachusetts. In 1978, he assumed the position of Senior Rabbi of Congregation Shearith Israel in Dallas, a position he held until his retirement in 1999, when he was named rabbi emeritus. Upon retirement, he became the rabbi of Temple Isaiah in Palm Springs. He appeared on many television programs, including as a regular panelist on American Religious Town Hall, a nationally televised weekly program on religious and social issues. He survived by his wife, Veda; four children: Jeremy (Alex) Ofseyer, Adina (Alan) Florsheim, Elana and Aaron Ofseyer; and 6 grandchildren.
Samuel Press, ז"ל
Ordained from Yeshiva University, he served as a chaplain in the US Air Force, stationed in Alaska and Maine. He was the founding rabbi of the Oyster Bay Jewish Center (Long Island, which he helped found in 1964. In 1978, he became the rabbi of Beth Abraham Synagogue in Dayton, OH, where he served for 25 years. While serving in Dayton, he was involved in numerous activities, including interfaith relations, the day school, and teaching Talmud. He is survived by his son, Adam M. Press; and sister, Dr. Rosalyn Avigad.
Gerry Rosenberg, ז"ל
A native of Chicago and one of the original campers at Ramah, he spent most of his career in the Chicago area. He first served as a US Army chaplain with tours of duty at Ft. Benning, GA and in Vietnam. He was the founding rabbi of Congregation Beth Shalom in Northbrook, and the most rewarding aspect of his rabbinate was ministering to those in need. After leaving the congregation, he spent the rest of his career in the chaplaincy. He continued to volunteer as a teacher in senior living facilities upon his retirement. He is survived by his wife, Rene; children; Nancy (David) Given, and Melissa (Richard, ז"ל) Drazner; and grandchildren, Abigail, Jeremy and Hannah.
Milton Rube, ז״ל
After ordination, he served as a chaplain in the US Air Force and, except for a few years at pulpits in Pennsylvania and Indiana, spent the remainder of his career as a rabbi in Cleveland. He first served at the Temple of the Heights (now B’nai Jeshurun) as the rabbi of the Young People’s Congregation before leaving in 1975 to form Congregation Bethanyu. He served there until retirement when he was asked to be the rabbi-in-residence at the Park Synagogue. He is survived by his children, Teri, Joel, Miriam, and Steven; eight grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
Andrew Sacks, ז"ל
Ordained in 1980, he assumed the pulpit of Beth Am Israel in his native Philadelphia. He also served on the faculty of his alma mater, Akiba Hebrew Academy (now the Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy) and as coach of its track team. After his tenure in Philadelphia, he made aliyah, where he was a spokesperson for Masorti Judaism and for 28 years was the director of our RA in Israel. In addition to his tireless advocacy for Masorti Judaism in Israel, he worked closely with the Misrad Ha’Panim to make sure that Jews who had converted under the auspices of a Conservative/Masorti bet din and wanted to make Aliyah would be successful. He is survived by his brothers, Barry, Steven, David and Eric.
Erwin Schild, ז"ל
A survivor of Dachau, he was ordained in Canada in 1947. In that year, he became the rabbi of Adath Israel Congregation in Toronto (then called the Romanian shul), a position he held until he retired and was named rabbi emeritus in 1989. He was bestowed many accolades, including the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, for his work in promoting Jewish-Christian relations and Holocaust education. He was named a Member of the Order of Canada in 2001. He is survived by his children, Daniel Schild, Dr. Judith Weinroth and Naomi Weitz; 12 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. His wife Laura died in 2017.
Albert Thaler, ז"ל
Ordained from JTS in 1962, he became the rabbi of the Queensboro Hill Jewish Center in Queens, where he served until 1980. He was then named the senior rabbi at Temple Gates of Prayer in Flushing, where he served until 2017, at which time he was named rabbi emeritus. His crowning achievement was at Camp Ramah in Nyack. He was the founding director of the Ramah Day Camp in 1970, a position he held simultaneously with his congregational duties. He served as director until retiring from Ramah in 1997. He is survived by his daughters, Dena (Steve), Judy (Steven Kane); daughter-in-law, Julie; brother, Dr. Robert Thaler (Judy); and nine grandchildren. His son, our colleague, Richard Thaler, died in 1997 and his wife, Shirley, died in 2018.
Carl Wolkin, ז"ל
Raised in Syracuse, NY, he was ordained in 1973. He became assistant rabbi at Temple Israel in Great Neck, NY and in 1980 was appointed senior rabbi of Congregation Beth Shalom in Northbrook, IL, from which he retired in 2015 and was named rabbi emeritus. He served on the board and as secretary of Masorti Olami and as president of the Chicago region of our RA. After retirement he served as interim rabbi at St. Albans Masorti Congregation (London) and at his home synagogue, Temple Adath Yeshurun, in Syracuse. He is survived by his wife, Judy; sons, Joshua (Aurelia) and David (Keeli); and brothers, Jay and Milton Zelermyer.