Temple Israel Rebbitzen Amy Rosenbaum, 66

Amy Pincus’s father, the owner of Pincus Decorators on Kings Highway in Brooklyn, and Jay Rosenbaum’s mother, one of the business’s designers, thought their daughter and son, respectively would be a great match.

On Dec. 27, nearly 50 years ago, Amy and Jay had their first date that initiated a life partnership that took the couple around the world from administering to members of Temple Israel in Lawrence, battling anti-Semitism and building bridges between different religions and nationalities.

“We went to Jahn’s in Flatbush,” Rosenbaum said, about their first date, who was then in college. Both had attended Midwood High School, but a few years apart. The following summer they spent much time together on the beach in Far Rockaway where Rosenbaum was a lifeguard. The couple continued the relationship and in 1974 they married.

Four days shy of her 67th birthday, Amy Jill Rosenbaum died on Dec. 3. “It was 46 years and I never left her side,” said Rosenbaum, the leader of Temple Israel of Lawrence. “She was a women of valor with courage, compassion and caring.”

Amy graduated from Pratt Institute with a bachelor’s degree of fine arts in fashion design, won awards at Pratt and became a leading designer of women’s clothing on Seventh Avenue. “She had talent as a fashion designer and was a part of Fashion Week in Paris and she gave it all up to engage in the work of a mother and grandmother, and raising our son, Jordan” Rosenbaum said. “She was there for him, then for our daughter-in-law Michelle and three lively grandchildren. In terms of the spiritual work she was the heart, soul and essence of Temple Israel.”

The Rosenbaums did not limit their work to Temple Israel, as part of the North American Board of Rabbis, an organization that Jay served as president, they worked on behalf of the Jewish community to eradicate anti-Semitism. Together they meet popes, prime ministers, kings, queens and several presidents from many different countries.

“A rabbi’s wife or husband, taking the Hebrew word rebbetzin it is the same as rabbi, the role is the same,” Rosenbaum said, “to uplift and comfort to serve the Jewish community and the larger community of human kind, and engage always in the Biblical mission to repair the world – tikkun olam.”

Always a welcoming presence, Amy made everyone feel at home, Temple Israel President Douglas Segan said. “As you would enter the building, you could count on  Amy  Rosenbaum being  there to  warmly greet you,” he wrote for the temple bulletin. “Whether you were a  temple member for decades or the temple president or a first time visitor, you received the same genuine warm smile and the same sincere sweet Shabbat greeting from Amy.”

Rosenbaum recounted how famed Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal, then in his 90s, unburdened himself to Amy that he could not visit his family in Israel anymore.

“We pray that God gives us a good life, a productive life and life of meaning and love, we also pray that when our time comes and it comes to all of us, we began our second journey from life to life everlasting, it will be with dignity, love and without pain. Being one of God’s angels here on Earth she was blessed with both by our Creator. And she lives on in the hearts of all who knew her and loved her and her sacred work of making this world a better place for all of God’s children,” Rosenbaum said.