Rabbi J. Leonard Romm, who served congregations in Baldwin, Great Neck and Bellmore, Long Island for over 30 years, passed away suddenly on September 21, 2023, just two weeks before the outbreak of the war in Gaza.
His wife, Diane, and sons Zvi and Gadi and their families looked for an appropriate way to memorialize him. They wanted a place that exemplified his interests and values. The Romm family found both in the ReGrow Israel project (https://www.regrowisrael.org/), whose goal is to help farmers in the area near the Gaza Strip rebuild. Rabbi Romm was an avid gardener, so a project devoted to growing produce was very appropriate.
The family has been working with ReGrow Israel to help rebuild one greenhouse in Kibbutz Alumim, one of the religious kibbutzim in the area near the Gaza Strip.
The plaque in Rabbi Romm’s memory features two of his favorite pesukim, which he recited at the end of every prayer service: “Blessed may you be in your coming in and blessed may you be in your going out. May the Lord grant strength to His people. May the Lord bless Israel and all mankind with peace.”
Diane said, “When we hear these pesukim, we can hear his voice, which warms (mechamem in Hebrew) our hearts. We also thought they were very appropriate for this chammama (greenhouse) in this particular place at this particular time. We are grateful to ReGrow Israel for giving us the opportunity to hear his voice again.”