The Spirit and Soul of our TCS Family: Martin z”l and Martha Rosenfeld

BY DEBBI BARER

Perhaps you’re one of the lucky Bar/Bat Mitzvah students tutored by Martin Rosenfeld z”l. Perhaps you sat next to Martin and Martha at a TCS Sukkot dinner or danced with them on Simchat Torah.

These two special people have helped make TCS the thriving community that we all love. We celebrate them, while mourning the loss of Martin on January 23, 2023. He was 95. In addition to his wife Martha (Elowsky), Martin is survived by his daughter Elizabeth, son and daughter-in-law Reuben and Ora, and 3 grandsons.

Born in the Bronx, Martin was a graduate of DeWitt Clinton High School and New York University. He attended Yale University where he became fluent in Japanese, a skill he used during his service in World War II.

Martin and Martha, his wife of 66 years, raised their family in New Rochelle, and were active in their synagogue. When they retired, they looked for a place where they could continue contributing to the community and local Jewish life. How fortunate we are that they chose Westport and TCS.

They lived in Westport from 1998 to 2021. During that time, together, they donated over 16,000 volunteer hours to Norwalk Hospital. Martha held many roles, including president of volunteers. Martin helped patients, visitors, and staff in the ambulatory surgical waiting room; countless area residents remember his warmth and good humor during an undoubtedly stressful time.

At TCS, countless congregants also remember his warmth and good humor. Both Martin and Martha were significant parts of our family. They assisted in the office, shined the silver on the Torah scrolls, and provided Passover seders for people who didn’t have family nearby. In addition, they were avid participants at adult education programs. They even attended Judaic silversmithing classes at the 92nd Street Y, and created many beautiful items including a set of Kiddush cups that nestled one within the other, now treasured by their children. And in 2018, the couple were honored by the Federation for Jewish Philanthropy of Upper Fairfield County.

At the age of 70, Martin learned to read Torah for the first time. Until services were moved to Zoom during the height of the pandemic, he was still going strong — in fact, he was the synagogue’s most prolific reader. Martin was also a popular tutor in the synagogue’s B’nei Mitzvah program. Martha remembers that no matter when they went to TCS, some kids would happily come up to him, including recent and past Bar/Bat Mitzvah. “There was a special connection between child and adult that could make their lives a little more Jewish.”

Now that TCS has been renovated and refreshed, she encourages the congregation to “keep going. Build upon what you have. The shul has all the people, everything in place to keep making connections.”

The only thing missing? “You’ll have to find someone to polish the silver. That was our job.”