It is fascinating that two women responsible for seeding, cultivating and bringing to fruition Jewish day schools in Northern New Jersey were two sisters-in-law who passed away exactly one year apart. They were Rosalind Poleyeff Rosenbaum and Belle Hymowitz Rosenbaum, the women who stood behind Aaron and Jacob, movers and shakers who, with their wives, for Klal Yisroel and the State of Israel. This founding family of Yeshiva Hudson County, the Union City Mikveh and the shtiebl in Union City, brought Holocaust survivors into their homes from the Vaad Hatzolah back in the day, to providing yeshiva educations for Russian children who want to continue their studies. These two women were pioneers who led the way, and their legacy is the rich Contemporary Orthodox community of Bergen County, as nurtured through generations of children who passed through their hands. There are a few people in Ber­gen County who remember well the school on New York Avenue in Union City, and even the school in Jersey City before that, who marvel at what is now RYNJ, with more than 1,000 stu­dents from our community.

Dr. Belle Rosenbaum, z’l

Here is the eulogy for Belle Rosen­baum, z’l, from her daughter Simmi Br­odie of Monsey, followed by the zikaron of her sister-in-law, Rosalind, z’l, by her daughter, Esther Scharf of Teaneck, both delivered on the same day.

I am not used to speaking publicly, but my mother insisted once, when she was being honored by one of her organ­izations, that I introduce her.

When Chanie (Levine, the Rosh Ye­shiva’s wife in Philadelphia) found this speech in my mother’s desk a few weeks ago, she brought it to my house, and read it to my mother. When I saw her face, I realized that I would soon have to read it one more time.

When I was asked to speak about my mother, I hesitated, because to speak about my mother is to speak about myself.

Where does the river end and the ocean begin? They ebb and flow forever, together.

You all know Dr. Belle Rosenbaum, the public persona; her mezuzot, her tzedaka, and her chesed. Her involve­ment in every Jewish organization that is and was—and since there could nev­er be enough, she started a new one, The Education Center for Jewish Val­ues.

She was treasurer of the mikvah, President of the North Hudson chap­ter of Mizrachi Women, and the Yeshiva of Hudson County [now RYNJ]. She was on the boards of Yeshiva University-Al­bert Einstein College of Medicine, Isra­el Bonds, Bris Avraham USA, Hadassah Hospital, Shaarei Tzedek Hospital, the YU Museum and the Great Synagogue in Jerusalem. She was a life member of AMIT, Hadassah, Bnai Brith and ORT. She was active in the Community Syn­agogue Holocaust Center-Beis Torah— Shaarei Torah and OHR REuven Riverd­ale Home for the Aged. She founded the American Friends of Migdal Ohr with my father and they were active until their last moments.

They have dedicated the corner­stones on buildings from Monsey to Is­rael to Tashkent. And these are just a few of the big things!

Her private acts of chesed: the shid­duchim she arranged; help given to fam­ily and friends and strangers to start their lives or business or to get them back on track; advice freely given, and time and a listening ear and heart; the hachnosas orchim—her home was a way station, for a day, a month or a year—for countless people; the dignity and love with which she cared for my grandparents…

Each one of these things would be a central theme for another life.

But keh ain ayin horah, I find it diffi­cult to pick a pet project for my mother. Perhaps her quest for hidur mitzvah— the artists she’s helped and encouraged and sustained, the homes she has beau­tified, and her fascination with business and her success …. No! I think that to me, first and foremost, she was my mother. My other siblings and our children will testify with me that she has always been there when we needed her, to teach us, to guide us, to love us.

She is dressed in strength and majes­ty.

She opens her mouth with wisdom and kindness in her speech.

Her children praise her; her husband adores her.

Many daughters have accomplished much, but you surpass them all.

Love of the Torah and fear of Heaven are her center.

I pray Hashem will reward her with the fruits of her golden hands. She is praised in the gates by her very own deeds. It has been my greatest honor to be her daughter.

Rosalind Poleyeff Rosenbaum , z’l

An Appreciation of Mommy on Her First Yahrzeit

The reason I asked to speak today was that many of you remember Bub­bie differently than her children do. Our memories of her later years tend to ob­scure her earlier, formative years, when she was a major force of life.

We recently finished our period of aveilus. Rav Moshe Chaim Luzatto, au­thor of Mesilas Yesharim, notes in his sefer Ha’ksav v’ha’kaballah, regarding the death of Moshe Rabbenu, that the word avel stems from the root bal, to no­tice something is not there. When some­one passes away and you have a sense that it’s a piece of you that is missing, that’s the aveilus. And that sense contin­ues the bond with the niftar.

I would like to supplement the mem­ories of her later years, which were the only ones that her younger grandchil­dren and great-grandchildren were privi­leged to experience. With contributions from my siblings, I would like to fill in some of the gaps.

To start at the end, she lived 98+ years and left many descendants, although she never would count them. She was sharp to the end, even serving as a re­source for spelling corrections as late as her last two weeks. She always accepted whatever Hashem planned for her.

She was born in Russia in 1914 and came to America at the age of four or five and grew up with not a penny to her name. With little opportunity for a ye­shiva education in those days, especially for girls, she attended public school. She had first class math skills and excellent limudei kodesh skills for a women edu­cated in the 1920s and 30s.

Afterward, she worked during the day as a bookkeeper and attended Baruch College at night. Education was always important to her.

She was strong, young, vibrant, active and beautiful. With Daddy, she raised five children. Mommy was not only a wonderful wife to Daddy but a fantastic mother. She worked hard and gave her all in everything she did.

Mommy was an outdoors woman. She was the one who taught us to ride bikes, play basketball, jump rope and double dutch, swim, row a boat, skim rocks over the water, and carve wood­en sticks. We spent time blueberry pick­ing, peeling potatoes or apples, digging in the garden, and planting.

We kids had such fun with our moth­er. She could stand on her head and once dressed up as Mahatma Gandhi at a costume party. She was a riot.

And, of course, she helped us with homework and school projects. Mommy helped Yitzchak, Heshy, and Yudi with their bar mitzvah divrei torah, always trying to make sure (not always success­fully) that they spoke slowly and clearly. She read to us before we went to sleep, a chapter each night.

Having mastered driving a stick-shift, she was a careful, but slow, driver. You could tell when Mommy drove the car last because it was inevitably parked about two feet away from the curb. She taught us how to drive – no driving school, mother school.

She taught us everything!

She was also an important member of and contributor to the community. She was the president of the North Hud­son Women’s Group of the Yeshiva (of Hudson County), and volunteered at the Jersey City Hebrew Home and the Un­ion City Mikva, and helped Congrega­tion Zemach Dovid in North Bergen to start, grow, and prosper.

There were countless fundraising ba­zaars, rummage sales, and bingo nights. She even worked as a volunteer trans­lator of Yiddish for the New York City court system in Williamsburg.

You don’t live 98 years without being a strong, tough lady. She was honest and trustworthy, smart and modest, quiet and kind, soft spoken yet independent, respectful and principled yet not afraid to express her opinion. Her approach to life imparted many lessons. She worked for everything she got, and appreciated everything she had. She taught us that it was more important to give than to take.

We were always encouraged to invite friends over for shabbos. There were often baalei teshuva and singles at the shabbos table, where a few shidduch­im were made. For many people, attend­ing the Yeshiva or visiting their home changed their religious orientation pos­itively.

Most of all, she loved and was devoted to every member of the family unconditionally.

One idea that kept coming up in all of our recollections was that everyone felt that being in her presence was like sitting with royalty. Mommy (Bubby) remained always the daughter of a Rosh Yeshiva. She was a tzenua, most comfort­able behind the scenes, but nevertheless a full partner to her melech, Daddy (Zei­da), in all their endeavors.

I know that I speak for all my siblings when I wish that our children and grandchildren can experience the love that our parents gave to us. It was their efforts that helped us grow up into what we are today, and that we try to pass on to our families. For this we are eternally grateful to them. Thank you Mommy and Daddy.

Mommy was fond of quoting the pas­suk from Mishlei (17:6): Ateres zekaynim bnai banim, v’siferes banim avosam, The crown of elders is grandchildren and the glory of children is their parents. She remains the glory of her children and grandchildren because we are fortunate to follow in her footsteps.

How proud and fortunate we are to have been blessed with a mother (and grandmother) like Shoshana Reizil bas haRav Moshe Aharon, aleha hashalom.

Tehei nafsha tzerura betzror hachaim.

Esther Scharf