Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.[a]
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.” Psalm 91:1-2
My heart is aching for the 11 people who were gunned down because they chose to honor God at their local Synagogue- something that most of us do on a weekly basis. These 11people- and the death toll could have been higher- were it not for the quick action of law enforcement. I want to pay tribute to these individuals in this blog.
1.Cecil and David Rosenthal: The brothers from Squirrel Hill sat in the back of the temple and greeted people as they came in to worship, said Suzan Hauptman, who grew up in the synagogue.
2.Dr. Jerry Rabinowitz:a primary care physician in Edgewood Borough, who touched the lives of many patients with HIV. One patient said Rabinowitz was known as "the one to go to" because of how he treated everyone with respect and dignity.
3.Irving Younger: greeted Tree of Life members and visitors with a big smile and a handshake, a friend said."He was a guy that, when you walked in, he was the first person that would meet you and help you find a seat," his pal and former Tree of Life president Barton Schachter told CNN."He liked to make sure you knew where you were in the prayer book. It was his duty. He felt responsible. He felt like his role was to help serve."
4.Melvin Wax: passions were his grandson, his religion and the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was "always in a good mood, always full of jokes," his sister told CNN The 88-year-old accountant was usually among the first to arrive at Friday night and Saturday morning services, Bonnie Wax said. He was well-versed in reciting Jewish prayer."The synagogue for him was very important. We always used to kid with him that you should have been a rabbi," she said.
5.Rose Mallinger: Friends and relatives say the 97-year-old Squirrel Hill woman lived for her family. She regularly attended Tree of Life with her daughter, Andrea, who was injured in the shooting. And despite her age, Mallinger was spry, vibrant and full of life."To Bubbe, the family was everything. She knew her children, her grandchildren, and her great-grandchild better than they knew themselves. She retained her sharp wit, humor, and intelligence until the very last day," her family said in a statement.
6: Bernice and Sylvan Simon: The Simons died together in the same synagogue where they wed more than 60 years ago.
According to their 1956 wedding announcement in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the couple married at Tree of Life synagogue. The bride carried a Bible with white orchids and streamers of stephanotis and wore a gown of ivory Chantilly lace and tulle trimmed with sequins. They were the kind of people who regularly stepped up to help in their small neighborhood and in the Jewish community.
"They wanted to give back to people and be kind," Stepaniak said. "They were loving and giving and kind."
7. Jerry Rabinowitz: touched the lives of many, both as a primary care physician in Edgewood Borough and a member of Dor Hadash -- one of three congregations scheduled to celebrate Sabbath at Tree of Life on Saturday.
In the early days of HIV treatment, when stigma around the disease was high, Rabinowitz was known to hold patients' hands without gloves and embrace them whenever they left the office, one patient recalled."Before there was an effective treatment for fighting HIV itself, he was known in the community for keeping us alive the longest," Kerr said. "Thank you Dr. Rabinowitiz for having always been there during the most terrifying and frightening time of my life."Rabinowitz was known for wearing bow ties that made people smile and put his patients at ease, his nephew, Avishai Ostrin said on Facebook. Ostrin said his uncle was not in the basement where the congregation was gathered, but outside the room. "Why? Because when he heard shots he ran outside to try and see if anyone was hurt and needed a doctor. That was Uncle Jerry, that's just what he did."
Ostrin said if there was a message his uncle would want everyone to take from the tragedy, "it would be a message of love, unity, and of the strength and resilience of the Jewish people."
8.Joyce Fienberg: 75, had a long career at the University of Pittsburgh as a research specialist from 1983 until her retirement in 2008. Her employers at the Learning Research and Development Center called her a "cherished friend" and "an engaging, elegant, and warm person.
She was just as beloved by Ph.D. students of her husband, Stephen, an acclaimed statistician who taught at Carnegie Mellon University for 36 years. He passed away two years ago after battling cancer.
The couple opened their home to Stephen's students and treated them like family, former student Jason Connor said. Joyce would send cards to her husband's students long after they left Carnegie Mellon, Connor said.
9. Richard Gottfried:Richard Gottfried was Jewish, and his wife, Peg Durachko, was Catholic. Together, they opened a dental practice in 1984 and helped prepare other interfaith couples for marriage through the St. Athanasius church. In 1996, the couple joined the Discovery Study Club, a local group that's part of an international organization of dentists and specialists who offer educational lectures and workshops in dentistry, according to the practice's website.
10.Daniel Stein:The 71-year-old retiree lived in Squirrel Hill with his wife, nephew Steven Halle told CNN affiliate WPXI. Halle said he and his family were shocked by his uncle's sudden death at the synagogue, where Stein went every Saturday.
"He was a great guy," Halle said. "He was a fun guy, he had a dry sense of humor and everybody loved him."
11. Brothers Cecil and David Rosenthal:The brothers were inseparable, said Chris Schopf of ACHIEVA, a Pittsburgh nonprofit that provides support for people with disabilities. The organization worked with the brothers. In a statement, they described them as extraordinary men who were respected members of ACHIEVA's community.
"Cecil's laugh was infectious. David was so kind and had such a gentle spirit. Together, they looked out for one another," said Schopf, a vice president for residential support. "Most of all, they were kind, good people with a strong faith and respect for everyone around."
According to their obituaries posted by the Ralph Schugar Chapel, Cecil was a devoted Tree of Life congregant. David worked for Goodwill Industries and was described as a hard worker who was frequently recognized for his dedication.
Laura Berman, the cantor of Temple Sinai, said Cecil was a "beautiful man" and a "sweet, gentle soul."
"The kindest soul you would ever meet," she said. "A smiling face. He was one of those embodiments of the community. Just open, warm, smiling, wanting to help and just in his beautiful simplicity. That's who he was."
The names I just entered all had family connections. Like a spider web, lives are being touched in every direction, and with that grief are being felt by those who knew them. It wasn't just the 11 people we lost today, but it was all of the people they touched in their communities.
To the Tree of Life Synagogue, we are grieving with you as you pay your final respects to these precious souls. I think it would honor them if every one of us were to make a positive contribution to society.
Let all of us learn to walk in another person's shoes. If we do that we just might understand a little more about humanity.
