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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E388]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRIBUTE TO THE LIFE OF RABBI ALAN MAYOR SOKOBIN
______
HON. MARCY KAPTUR
of ohio
in the house of representatives
Thursday, April 23, 2020
Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker. I rise today to honor the life of Alan
Mayor Sokobin, Rabbi Emeritus of The Temple--Congregation Shomer Emunim
in Sylvania, Ohio. Rabbi Sokobin suddenly passed from this life on
Friday April 3, 2020.
Rabbi Sokobin was a giant in our community. Learned, faith-filled, a
family man, loving, a leader, compassionate, a World War II veteran,
funny, high-spirited, reverent, a community leader and so much more. As
we mourn Rabbi Sokobin's passing, in the midst of Passover, as the
Jewish people commemorate the exodus from Egypt to the promised land,
they recognize the importance of welcoming the stranger, to opening
one's home and the Passover dinner table to the other. Rabbi Sokobin
spent his life welcoming the stranger and his imprint on our community
is writ large, his contributions invaluable.
Alan Mayor Sokobin was born on March 8, 1926 in Newark, New Jersey,
to parents Pauline and Max. At the age of fifteen he slipped away from
his family to join the Navy, honorably serving in Europe and Japan.
After the war he graduated from Syracuse University, and then pursued
rabbinic studies at Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, Ohio. He went
on to receive his Doctor of Theology degree from Burton College.
Marrying the love of his life on May 19, 1957, together he and Mickey
raised two children and eventually presided over a family including
five grandchildren.
Rabbi Sokobin came to our community in 1972 to join the congregation
as co-rabbi with Leon Feuer. He soon established himself as an
intellectual and ecumenical community leader, pairing with Toledo's
mayor to improve Toledo Municipal Court, chairing the Labor-Management-
Citizens Committee, and working with Promedica Health System. Rabbi
Sokobin's greatest gift to the faith community was the partnerships he
formed with Toledo's faith leaders in the Catholic, Muslim, and other
religious traditions.
After officially retiring in 1992, Rabbi Sokobin decided to go to Law
School and graduated in 1996. He was named outstanding student of his
class by a vote of faculty members. Rabbi Sokobin remained a constant
figure not only in his congregation, but our community as the years
passed into this decade. His wise counsel was sought and carefully
considered regarding issues of the day. His thoughtful countenance and
astute observations were treasured. Yet, it was always the most
charming sight to see Rabbi Sokobin pull a balloon ever present in his
pocket and fashion an animal as children--and adults--watched in
wonder.
The young Anne Frank noted ``Our lives are fashioned by our choices.
First we make our choices. Then our choices make us.'' Rabbi Alan Mayor
Sokobin chose to live his life serving God with his whole heart,'' a
choice that made many all the richer. He spent his days putting the
pieces of the world back together, he worked to fix the disconnected,
to repair the world--he truly embodied tikkun olam. Today we mourn at
his passing, but we celebrate his life and the progress he made to fix
our broken world. We offer our heartfelt condolences to his family as
they mourn this great man.
____________________