Sidney "Shulom" Rappaport

It has been many years since I last saw Rabbi Rappaport, but I am smiling now as I remember one of our last visits. It was 1997, opening day at the Asper Jewish Community Campus, and I found him sitting at a table in the cafeteria, which was operated at the time by his son. I stopped to say hello and asked him if he was enjoying the great occasion. "I am," he replied, "but I also have a very important job here." Laughing, I asked him if he was the maitre d'. "No," he replied, "it's much more important than that. Let me demonstrate." He leapt out of his seat, walked over to the cooler, and took a rag out of his pocket. He turned back to me and said, "Every six or seven minutes, I get up, walk over here, take out this schmatteh and wipe the condensation off the doors of the cooler. It's the most important job in the entire restaurant. If I don't do it, nobody will know what there is to eat!"

Anyone who knew Rabbi Rappaport will recognize, in that story, his gentle nature, his wry sense of humour, and the loving dedication that he brought to everything he did, especially as a leader of the community for so many years. I always felt a special personal bond with him, but I suspect that most of his congregants over the years would say the same. He was a one-of-a-kind mensch and I will cherish his memory forever.

Rabbi Rappaport was a great friend to my parents and me. Once, when I was saying kaddish for both of my parents, I saw him in synagogue and told him that my wife and I would be traveling for a week and it would be hard to find a minyan. He kindly offered to say kaddish for them while I was away. He was a wonderful mensch and much beloved.

My thoughts and prayers are with you in your time of grief. May your memories bring you comfort.