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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home JANUARY 28, 2016 | The Jewish Home
Loss of a Leader Remembering Rabbi Ronnie Greenwald z”l by Brendy J. Siev
Last week, Rabbi Ronnie Greenwald passed away. Over the course of his life, he served as Torah U’Mesorah’s director of development, national chairman of National Council of Synagogue Youth, executive director of Toras Emes, a New York police chaplain, vice president of the Orthodox Union, chairman of the board of the Women’s League Community Residences, the head of the Monsey Academy for Girls, the chairman of Neve Yerushalayim, founding chairman of the board of the Jewish Board of Family Services, a commodities trader, and director of Camp Sternberg. Those were only (most of) his official roles.
H
e was an “approachable powerhouse who put as much import on presidents as any child with an issue,” says Racheli Indig. He was “the rosh yeshiva of our dor,” says Rabbi Zecharia Wallerstein.
He took life casually, without an ego. He was “machaneinu Machaneh Sternberg.” “He was,” says Mrs. Rochel Gruen, “larger than life. He believed in everyone and made people believe in themselves.”
Rabbi Dovid Refson of Neve Yerushalayim says that “Ronnie was unable, just unable, to see avlah and sit at the side.” Rabbi Marvin Schick claims that Rabbi Greenwald “operated on both parts of the spectrum.” On one hand, he worked to improve himself. On the
other, he worked to save the world. “In a global sense, he was good to the Jewish people. But his most noble efforts were for individuals. He brought happiness and light to individuals. No individual challenge was too great.” Who was Rabbi Ronnie Greenwald?