Bood Drive - In memory of Dr. Jerry Rabinowitz
11/15/2018 10:30:55 AM
As many of you know, one of the victims of the Pittsburgh attacks was Dr. Jerry Rabinowitz. As you will note below, he was one of Pittsburgh’s most beloved doctors, among the first to treat HIV patients with the dignity and respect they deserved. When gunfire erupted, Rabinowitz was not in the basement with the congregation but outside the room, his nephew said. "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."
The Jewish world is indeed very small, as some of Habonim's members have very close connections to the Rabinowitz family, including current Habonim members Julie and Rick Libman as well as Mary & Paul Lindsay, whose children Elizabeth and Gabriel celebrated their Bar and Bat Mitzvahs at Habonim with Dr. Rabinowitz & his wife Miri in attendance.
Please see information below on Red Cross Blood Drive being organized by the Lindsay family in memory of Dr. Rabinowitz.
Please consider your participation and feel free to share with others.
Sincerely
Eli Rubenstein
Religious Leader
Congregation Habonim
Dear family and friends,
As you may know, our family had a personal connection to the tragedy at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. Not only was the loss of life devastating for the Jewish community, it also hit very close to home when we found out that our dear friend, Dr. Jerry Rabinowitz, was one of the eleven victims. His loss has been devastating for his wife Miri, family, friends, and community.
We would like to honour his life in a way that has some meaning and let Miri know that he is remembered. The Canadian Blood Services has agreed to help us sponsor a blood donation drive in Jerry’s memory at their clinic at Yonge and Bloor on Tuesday, December 4th, and Saturday, December 8th. The information about the event with a link to sign up is attached below. If those dates or times don’t work for you, but you would still like to donate, please reply so we can make other arrangements.
We hope you’ll share this information with anyone else who might be interested.
Thank you so much,
Mary, Paul, Elizabeth & Gabriel Lindsay
Dr. Jerry Rabinowitz was a beloved family doctor who cared for his patients with great compassion and empathy. He was one of the first doctors in Pittsburgh to treat AIDS patients at a time when others would not. He was also an adored husband, son, brother, uncle, and friend. With his wife Miri he was a leader in their community, particularly in their synagogue, Dor Hadash. Tragically, because of his instincts to help others, Jerry was killed in the Pittsburgh Tree of Life shootings.
As a healer, Jerry knew the importance of blood donation. Jerry was a platelet donor himself. He also knew the importance of giving back. We hope that during the week of Chanukkah, a time of giving, you will consider giving the gift of life in remembrance of our friend, and let his wife Miri know that he will not be forgotten.
CLICK HERE TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT
IN MEMORY OF DR. JERRY RABINOWITZ BLOOD DRIVE
Tuesday, December 4
Saturday, December 8
Canadian Blood Services
Yonge Bloor Donation Centre
2 Bloor Street East
(NE Corner of Yonge & Bloor)
Concourse Level / Yonge Street Entrance
