JERUSALEM (JTA) — Rabbi Moshe Rose, who worked to rebuild Europe’s Jewish community in the wake of the Holocaust, has died.
Rose, the executive director of the Conference of European Rabbis for 42 years, died Tuesday at the age of 84. He also served as the executive director of the British Chief Rabbi’s office under Chief Rabbis Israel Brodie and Immanuel Jakobovits.
Rose was born in Birmingham, England, in 1925 and lived in Australia during the Depression. He worked as a coal miner during World War II and later served in the British army. While serving as the rabbi of the Sutton Synagogue in London he studied at Jews College, receiving both a bachelor’s and masters degree from the University of London.
In 1962, he was invited by Brodie to be executive director of the Chief Rabbi’s office and was appointed to the same post at the Conference of European Rabbis, of which Brodie was president.
Rose moved to Israel in 1973 while continuing at the Conference of European Rabbis and working as the director of Young Israel in Israel. He also began producing basic books on Judaism in Russian and organizing events for Russian immigrants in Israel. With the opening up of Russia, Rose established close links with emerging Jewish communities in the former Soviet Union.
After retiring from the Conference of European Rabbis, he continued to attend its conferences and standing committee meetings until his death.
Rose is survived by his wife of 50 years, Cynthia, and three sons. A fourth son was killed in the 1982 Lebanon War.
