SR0732 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0732 LRB095 21521 GRL 51267 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Rabbi Dr. Moses Mescheloff of Chicago, who passed away on May 9, 2008; and

WHEREAS, Rabbi Dr. Moses Mescheloff was born in New York City in 1909; he entered the Talmudical Academy of Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary at the age of 13 and was the school's first native English-speaking student; he received his ordination in 1932 and graduated with high honors, including Phi Beta Kappa, from the City College of New York the same year; and

WHEREAS, In 1935, Rabbi Mescheloff married the former Magda Schonfeld; together, they would ultimately have 3 children, 16 grandchildren, and 55 great-grandchildren; and

WHEREAS, After holding pulpits in Scranton, Pennsylvania and North Adams, Massachusetts, Rabbi Mescheloff was invited to become the first rabbi at Beth Jacob Congregation, in Miami Beach, Florida, the only congregation in Miami Beach at that time, in 1937; as rabbi, he took a primary role in establishing institutions that led to the rapid growth of the area's Jewish community, including kosher food, a mikvah, adult education courses, a Hebrew school, and Jewish women's organizations; he also helped to establish a good relationship between the city's fledgling Jewish community and its non-Jews and was featured on several long-running radio shows; and

WHEREAS, During World War II, Rabbi Mescheloff became a civilian chaplain, counseling soldiers in the field and their wives and parents at home; he also served as a member of the delegation attempting to save European Jewish refugees on the ship St. Louis, joining other leading rabbis in an attempt to allow the refugees to enter the United States; and

WHEREAS, In 1954, Rabbi Mescheloff came to Chicago in time to celebrate Chanukah with his new congregation of Congregation K.I.N.S. of West Rogers Park; in addition to his long tenure at K.I.N.S. and the many organizational positions he held, he also wrote articles for a number of magazines, both scholarly and popular; in 1980, he received the degree of Doctor of Hebrew Letters from the Hebrew Theological College in Skokie; and

WHEREAS, In addition to his position at K.I.N.S., where he was rabbi emeritus at the time of his death, Rabbi Mescheloff held many other posts in Chicago; he was a past president of the Chicago Rabbinical Council, the Religious Zionist Council, and the Chicago Board of Rabbis; he was also a member of numerous other organizations and was involved in many public causes in both the Jewish and non-Jewish communities; and

WHEREAS, Rabbi Mescheloff is survived by his wife of 73 years, Magda; his children, Renah (Rabbi Alexander) Bell, Rabbi Dr. Efraim (Felice) Mescheloff, and Rabbi Dr. David (Irene) Mescheloff; and his grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and

WHEREAS, Rabbi Mescheloff will be remembered by all who knew and loved him as a man of great dignity and kindness who was able to create connections between people, both between Jews and other Jews and, when necessary, between the Jewish and non-Jewish community; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of Rabbi Dr. Moses Mescheloff; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Rabbi Dr. Moses Mescheloff as an expression of our sympathy.