the funeral today in Pittsburgh- my experience
“Standing room only at this point,” announced a volunteer standing by a police blockade. An Honor Guard from the Fire Department standing at attention in ceremonial uniform outside Congregation Rodef Shalom. Across the street a throng of media vultures was gathering with their telephoto lenses, ready to capture the grieving faces of family and friends. This was the scene outside Cecil and David Rosenthal’s funeral, two brothers gunned down at Shabbat services on October 27th.
The scene inside the grand synagogue was notably solemn, and total strangers, including myself, were shedding tears for two men we never knew in person but were intimate friends with in spirit. Their brother in law read the eulogy, highlighting David’s love of cooking dinner with his mother, and Cecil’s unwavering care for the well-being of fellow congregants. He shared bright stories of their lives and even brought some laughs to the crowd as he talked about how the brothers would always get the same things during the family’s annual holiday trip to the flea market- David cologne and mirrored sunglasses and Cecil a wristwatch and a calendar. “The boys”, as the family called them, loved a party and made people happy with their energy. He finally broke down with the words “Thanksgiving will never be the same” when talking about their planned trip to Florida just a few weeks from now. The Rabbi from Tree of Life then talked about the brother’s zealous love of Judaism, their dedication to, and love of, the community, and their ability to beat him to Shul almost every Shabbat. He then ended by reading a prayer for the deceased, with two names and one father, a sight reserved for times of war and great tragedy. A sight you never want to witness.
And just like that, the funeral was over. The caskets were wheeled out of the chapel and the family and close friends carried them down the stairs of the synagogue to the waiting hearses, as a team on 50 or so reporters photographed their every move, their every tear, their every sob of mourning. The procession then drove off to the Tree of Life Memorial Park, under the escort of the Pittsburgh’s bravest.
The sight of a Rabbi who just witnessed 11 people murdered a mere 3 days ago reciting prayers of memory over the caskets of two brothers will probably never leave my mind. May the lives of David and Cecil Rosenthal be a blessing to us all. May such tragedy never again come upon us or any other people. Parents should never have to bury their children. As the Rabbi said “Cecil and David didn’t have a shred of hate in them”, that is a motto we should live our lives by. Be kind. Be involved with your community. Help people. Love each other. Accept their love. Tell the people close to you that you love them. Life is a fragile thing, cling to the Torah, the Tree of Life.
written by Ben, a student at NYU
