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LOWELL – A Bedford family learned with horror Saturday morning that a Pittsburgh synagogue, worshiped by a loved one, was the target of a massacre.
But it was only a few hours of restless waiting before they were told that the member of their beloved family was among the 11 dead.
Dr. Jerry Rabinowitz, 66, of Edgewood, Pa., Brother of Bill Rabinowitz, a resident of Bedford, was shot dead during Saturday morning's attack on the Synagogue of the Tree of Life, a confirmed Reverend John Gibbons, Senior Minister of First Parish in Bedford Sunday. Bill, with his wife Chris and his sons Jacob and Eliot Rabinowitz, are parishioners of the first parish.
"It was the most horrible day of yesterday," said Gibbons, who was with the family when they learned about the tragedy.
Gibbons noted that the Rabinowitz family traveled to Pittsburgh on Sunday for ceremonies in honor of the event.
Attempts to reach the family were not immediately answered. Gibbons had known Jerry and his wife Mari Rabinowitz after officiating in family weddings. He described the 66-year-old as a "beloved family doctor".
Jerry and Mari had no children, but Gibbons pointed out that Bill's sons were Jerry's "children of honor."
In a report released Sunday by Associated Press, Jerry is described as a "trusted confidant" and a "healer".
"She's one of the best people I've ever met," said Dr. Kenneth Ciesilka in the article.
Ciesielka was Jerry's partner in his medical practice at UPMC Shadyside in Pittsburgh.
"We have been practicing together for 30 years and have been friends for a longer time," said Ciesielka. "He will miss his patients terribly. He will be sorely missed by his family and him. He was just one of the kindest and kindest people.
Gibbons said the attack reinforced the need to fight gun violence.
"It has been going on for too long," he said. "We must not shut up anymore."
"We are shocked when it affects people we know, but on the other hand, why should it be?" Added Gibbons. "It concerns us all. We are all responsible and we are all responsible for putting an end to gun violence. "
The tragedy occurred as the first parish prepared for multiple events to combat violence. They will remember all those who died at their annual Day of the Dead celebration in their memorial garden at 7 pm Thursday.
The Jewish community of Bedford and the network of interdenominational clergy will soon hold their annual Kristallnacht commemorative event, or the "broken glass night", precursor of the Holocaust, when Nazi thugs in Germany set fire to synagogues and vandalized homes November 1938. The ceremony will be held at Town Common in Bedford on November 8 at 7 pm.
"Today's events are horrible and we remember Jerry Rabinowitz," Gibbons said in a letter published in The Bedford Citizen. "We must redouble our efforts to end senseless hatred, fanaticism and violence."
Follow Aaron Curtis on Twitter @aselahcurtis; [email protected]
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