Rabbi Mark S. Shapiro

There is so much to say about Rabbi Shapiro - which I am sure has been repeated many times already. My family was part of the founding members of BJBE and Rabbi Shapiro always made me so proud to be part of the congregation. He was such a great human being that always made me feel connected to Judaism and created such a level of comfort during any kind of service. He raised the bar so high for what it meant to be a Rabbi. He will be missed by so many people. Besides being a Bar Mitzvah...

I knew Mark Shapiro and Hannah before they were married. Hannah was my counselor when I was a camper at Union Institute. My husband Steve Kaufman and I were married at B’nai Jehoshua in Chicago. We were the last couple to get married there. Rabbi Shapiro married us. Rabbi Shapiro was a blessing to all of us who had the good fortune to know him.

My grandfather, Alois Steiner, was a founder of Temple Bnai Jehoshua. My parents were members as well as myself. As a teenager I went to camp in Oconomowoc Wis., where I first met Mark Shapiro. He was 5 years older than me and was preparing to be a rabbi. I was thinking about being a rabbi, so I visited Mark in Cincinatti at the Hebrew Union College. With discussions with Mark, I decided it was not for me. In 1968 Mark performed as rabbi at my wedding in Chicago. n 1975 my wife....

Rabbi Shapiro was beloved by the 6th grade teachers(Ann Lantolf, Mary Conrad, Bill Kasper and Carol Pihl from OLPH School in Glenview for the many Seder celebrations he led for the sixth grade students over the period of many years. It was a celebration that everyone involved looked forward to each year. May he rest in peace. Ann Lantolf

To the Shapiro family:

My family and I joined BJBE in 1978 when our twins were 2 years
old, thus bypassing the "waiting list". We loved Rabbi Shapiro and
looked forward to sharing so many wonderful years as members
of BJBE and loved our Chararah experiences,, We are proud owners
of the book of sermons put together by your family and I will now
treasure that book "Close Your Books" even more than ever before.
I am sorry that covid-19 prevented a real...

Rabbi Shapiro was the reason we joined BJBE many years ago.
We had some wonderful years as members, sent our daughter to religious school at BJBE and made some life-long friends. We always found Rabbi Shapiro to be caring, engaged and kind. May his memory be for a blessing.

The finest Man we have ever known. My family loved talking White Sox with our Rabbi. To hear of his passing was so fitting. He wanted us to know. Every significant moment in our life was led by our Rabbi. Your wisdom and love will be with us forever. You are all in our prayers

Rabbi Shapiro not only helped me reconnect with my faith but also provided me with a friendly and welcoming shul to do so in BJBE. Whenever he said "Close your books", you knew you were in for an aural and insightful treat in the form of a sermon. In my first year in the high holy day choir, I had the pleasure of hearing his final days of awe sermon not once but twice and it was even more poignant the second time I heard it.

Thank you for introducing me to the searchers groups,...