Rabbi Philip Rosensweig

Rabbi Philip Rosensweig was born in Toronto. As a teenager he was involved in securing passports for Holocaust survivors and working with Canadian organizations to help them get settled. Rosensweig attended Yeshiva University in New York City, and received his Rabbinic Ordination from Rabbi A.A. Price in Toronto. Rosensweig held various posts in Toronto including at the Save the Children Foundation. At age 25, he came to Kitchener and became head of Beth Jacob Synagogue.

Within 10 years, Rosensweig had overseen the construction of the synagogue and family centre on Stirling Avenue South in Kitchener, which is still in use today. During his 36-year tenure at Beth Jacob Synagogue, he was successful in combating assimilation and loss of faith by many of the community’s Jewish families. During this period, many Jewish congregations failed across Ontario but Waterloo Region’s stayed strong thanks to Rosensweig’s dedication and personality.

Probably his proudest achievement was to establish ongoing relations between the Jewish and Christian communities in the Region. Rosensweig represented the Jewish community at many public events, and he spoke countless times in local schools and churches. Prior to his death, Rosensweig was instrumental in organizing a seminar for school teachers to help them inform their students about the Holocaust.