Thank you for marking the passing and honoring the work of our rabbi emeritus, Stanley S. Rabinowitz [“Rabbi led D.C. synagogue for decades,” Obituaries, June 16].
In addition to serving as the rabbi of Adas Israel Congregation, Rabbi Rabinowitz was deeply involved in and influenced local, national and international causes and events. He wrote text for President Lyndon Johnson’s Thanksgiving Day address to the nation following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, and he was an early and forceful (and often criticized) advocate for integration. He welcomed the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to his pulpit (possibly the only synagogue the Rev. King spoke at).
When other congregations fled to the suburbs, Rabbi Rabinowitz insisted — against the wishes of many congregants — that Adas Israel remain in and become an active part of the District.
Rabbi Rabinowitz fought for freedom of oppressed Jews in the Soviet Union, founded the Zionist Organization of Conservative Judaism and served as president of the international Rabbinical Assembly. He was the go-to rabbi in the nation’s capital for presidents, ambassadors and foreign ministers.
He participated in President Johnson’s pre-inaugural service at National City Christian Church, in President Jimmy Carter’s service at the Lincoln Memorial celebrating the Camp David Accords, at the funeral of Supreme Court Justice Arthur Goldberg and at the bar mitzvah of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s son.
For all of his accomplishments, however, to me he was a special, warm and engaging teacher, rabbi and friend whom I and many in the D.C. community will deeply miss.
Glenn S. Easton, Washington
The writer is executive director of Adas Israel Congregation.
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