Rabbi Burstein, Z”L
Thursday, October 13, 2016 ~ 11 Tishrei 5777
Dear Friends,
It saddens me deeply to share that Rabbi Marcus Burstein died peacefully at home on Wednesday evening following the conclusion of Yom Kippur. Rabbi Burstein was a dear friend and colleague and a very special person. His indefatigable commitment to Judaism and the success of our congregation, especially during the past year, is inspiring. I miss him and know that many of you will be greatly saddened by this news.
Our collective thoughts, condolences, and prayers go out to Rabbi Burstein’s family, his husband Eric Larson, and their children Sarah, Stephen, and Sandra; his parents, Arlene and Julian, as well as his siblings, Adam, Maura, and Seth, and all his extended family.
The funeral for Rabbi Burstein will be Friday, October 14 at 10:30AM at Greenburgh Hebrew Center (515 Broadway, Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522), followed by interment at Baron Hirsch Cemetery (1126 Richmond Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10314).
Friends and members of our congregation can extend condolences to Rabbi Burstein’s family in their observance of shiva:
– Saturday, October 15, 2016 at Temple Emanu-El (756 East Broad Street, Westfield, NJ 07090) from 7-9 with a service at 7:15
– Sunday, October 16, 2016, at Greenburgh Hebrew Center (515 Broadway, Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522), from 2-4PM with a service at 2:30
– Monday, October 17, 2016 at Congregation Shir Shalom (46 Peaceable Street, Ridgefield, CT 06877) from 7-9PM with a service at 7:30. While the Festival of Sukkot traditionally annuls observance of shiva, we will gather for a special service to comfort each other and Rabbi Burstein’s family.
– Tuesday, October 18 at the home of Arlene Burstein (440 Westgate Drive, Edison, NJ 08820) from 7-9PM
– Wednesday, October 19, at the home of Arlene Burstein, from 2-4and 7-9PM
In addition to these opportunities to comfort Rabbi Burstein’s immediate family, please consider joining us for worship at Congregation Shir Shalom in the days ahead, to recite teh Mourner’s Kaddish and gather with and comfort each other as members of our congregational family:
-Friday, October 14, 2016; Shabbat Evening Worship at 7:30PM
-Saturday, October 15, 2016; Shabbat Morning Worship at 10:30AM
-Sunday, October 16, 2016; Sukkot Evening Worship at 6PM
-Monday, October 17, 2016; Sukkot Morning Worship at 10AM
Donations honoring Rabbi Burstein’s memory can be made to:
Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion (click here)
or by check:
Rabbi Marcus L. Burstein L’Dor V’Dor Fund
HUC-JIR, Brookdale Center
One West Fourth Street
New York, NY 10012
Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (click here)
(Include “Rabbi Marcus Burstein” in the “In memory of” section)
or by check:
Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
2027 Massachusetts Ave NW
Washington, D.C. 20036
Rabbi Burstein and I also discussed that contributions to Congregation Shir Shalom in his memory will be used to create a Scholar-In-Residence Fund and support one of his passions, adult education.
Letters and condolence cards can be sent to the Congregation Shir Shalom office and will be forwarded to Rabbi Burstein’s family.
While our office will be closed Friday so our staff can attend the funeral and Monday for the Festival of Sukkot, please stop by Congregation Shir Shalom for a hug or a cup of coffee today or in the days ahead, to share your stories about Rabbi Burstein and his impact on your life. We will have a book in the library where you can leave notes or memories of Rabbi Burstein.
Recognizing that Rabbi Burstein was like a family member for many in our congregation, may we all find comfort and consolation as we gather to mourn, amongst the mourner of Zion!
With warm wishes,
Rabbi David L. Reiner
Hal Wolkin, co-president
Gale Berman, co-president
A double yartzeit — Remembering those whose lives still bring lessons
January 29, 2019 by Cantor Deborah Katchko-Gray • Blog, Clergy, Our Shir Shalom Blog
Jan. 24 was the 18th of Shevat and the yartzeit of the date of remembrance of two individuals whose lives continue to bring meaning and lessons for me. They never met, but each one had a profound impact on our world and on our lives. Jan. 24 is the anniversary of the passing of Elie Wiesel’s father of blessed memory, Shlomo ben Eliezer Halevi Wiesel z”l, and my grandmother, Rachel Glicenstein Epstein, z”l.
My teacher and mentor of blessed memory, Professor Elie Wiesel spoke often of the impact of his beloved father, and the experiences they shared in the sweetness of childhood and the darkest of days in Auschwitz. His descriptions of his father in his now classic book, “Night,” are seared into our hearts. The love for his parents was literally enshrined in the magnificent Elie Wiesel Center for Judaic Studies at Boston University, where I spent many years soaking up words, stories, lessons, and kindness from my inspiring teacher and mentor.
Growing up in Stamford, my best friend and mentor was my grandmother. She came to this country in the l920s from East End London and never lost her English accent, or her love for all things British, including fine china and tea parties. She was a brilliant student and was offered a full scholarship to the London School of Economics to study German, but WWI broke out, and she could not attend. Her studies with Max Nordau, historian and the chief rabbi of the British Empire, Rabbi Hertz were tremendous sources of pride.
My grandfather was smitten with her as he trained to be in the Jewish Legion in 1917, stopping in England for training on the way to then Palestine. This highly educated woman left her beloved England with the passionate Jewish soldier who had helped Ben Gurion, Jabotinsky, Col. Patterson, and others secure Palestine against the Turks in 1917-1918. She arrived in Stamford and helped build the Jewish community.
I’ve always been so proud of my grandmother’s courage. She never drove a car, but managed to be president of countless organizations and helped found the Hebrew Ladies Educational League, which gave interest-free loans to poor Jewish immigrants and gave the seed monies to begin schools and organizations, such as the Bi-Cultural Day School, which I attended as a child. She was president and Sen. Joe Lieberman’s mother Marcia was treasurer. She worked all her life in her husband’s moving business, then the Stamford courts, and then volunteered for the Red Cross and Hadassah, earning the title Zionist of the Year.
When I hear the anti-Semitic hatred and bias against Zionism I often think of my gracious, brilliant and kind grandmother who helped so many people of all nations and races.
At this time, I remember the two individuals who helped shape my life — Elie Wiesel’s father and my grandmother Rae. Perhaps they are having a discussion over tea in heaven, hopefully not weeping over the state of our politics and bias, but dreaming of better days with hope and faith.