Rabbi Dr. Philip M. Weinberger passed away on January 8, 2022. He was 95 years old. Funeral services were held at Congregation Bnai Yeshurun in Teaneck, and interment was at Har Hamenuchot Cemetery in Jerusalem. Rabbi Weinberger, z”l was Rabbi Emeritus of Congregation Anshe Sholom in New Rochelle, where he served with distinction from 1959 to 1996.
Rabbi Weinberger was born into a Hasidic rabbinical family in Poland. His family immigrated to the United States when he was 7 years old. He grew up on the Lower East Side, where he developed a close relationship with the renowned Rabbi Moshe Feinstein. He attended Yeshiva Torah Vodaath and was a disciple of Rabbi Gedalia Schorr. After a brief career as a diamond cutter, he entered the rabbinate in the mid-1950s. Rabbi Weinberger’s first pulpit was in Bangor, Maine. He returned to New York in 1959 so that his children could receive a proper Jewish education. He arrived in New Rochelle in 1959. At that time, Congregation Anshe Sholom was still housed in a small building on Bonnefoy Place. Rabbi Weinberger galvanized the community and spearheaded the efforts to build a new campus for the congregation at 50 North Avenue. The synagogue moved location in 1963. Many longtime residents of New Rochelle fondly recall the new sanctuary’s dedication ceremony and the parade of Torah scrolls down North Avenue.
Rabbi Weinberger was known throughout Westchester County and beyond for his services as a mohel. Upon the conclusion of each bris ceremony, he would famously lift up the baby with one hand for all those assembled to see. In his later years, Rabbi Weinberger served as a chaplain at Westchester Medical Center and at Sing Sing Correctional Facility. He was a master of pastoral care, guiding patients and inmates through the most challenging moments of life. At the age of 90 he was still making regular visits to the hospital. Thousands of people were touched by Rabbi Weinberger’s care and compassion. Many were brought closer to their Jewish heritage through his encouragement.
Rabbi Weinberger was a scholar of both Jewish and general knowledge. He received a Ph.D. from New York University in 1970 for his dissertation on “The Social and Religious Thought of Grace Aguilar.” In his retirement, Rabbi Weinberger devoted himself to one-on-one learning partnerships. He studied countless Talmudic tractates with his Torah study partners. His rabbinic colleagues recognized him as a Talmid chacham and a giant in the profession.
On Sunday, March 20 at 7 p.m., there will be a rededication of the sanctuary in Congregation Anshe Sholom in memory of Rabbi Dr. Phillip M. Weinberger and Rebbetzin Chana Weinberger. The paroches for year round use and the paroches for the High Holidays will also be named in their memories at that time.
Rabbi Weinberger was predeceased by his beloved wife, Chana, z”l. He is survived by his children Dr. Judah (Dr. Ofra), Dr. Shmuel (Devorah), Debbie, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. May his memory forever be a blessing.
