Funeral services for Israel Rokeach, founder and president of I. Rokeach & Son, Inc., were held yesterday afternoon in the synagogue of Congregation Chovevei Torah, Brooklyn, of which he was a member. Mr. Rokeach, who was 92 years of age, died Friday at the Brooklyn Jewish Hospital after being ill for several weeks.
Temporary burial took place in Mount Lebanon Cemetery, Brooklyn, and permanent burial will be in Palestine in accordance with the wishes of Mr. Rokeach.
Israel Rokeach was born in Wilkowitsch, Lithuania, in 1841, the son of Rabbi A. L. Rokeach and the former Miriam Ritefsky. He came to the United States in 1890 and within a short time accumulated enough money to send for his wife and children.
Forty-five years ago, Mr. Rokeach opened a small plant, in a cellar on Market Street in which he manufactured kosher soap. His business grew by leaps and bounds, and time and again he moved his plant into larger quarters until in 1929 the firm moved into a huge plant built at a cost of $1,000,000. This factory is located at 240 Wythe Avenue, Brooklyn.
In his later years, Mr. Rokeach devoted more and more time to philanthropic activities. He was a large contributor to the Brooklyn Federation of Jewish Charities, the Yeshiva College and the Jewish National Fund for the upbuilding of Palestine. In 1930 he was guest of honor at a dinner arranged by a committee of one hundred representing organizations to which he had contributed.
The Palestine Fund has built near Jerusalem three communities, Gvas Rokeach, Mkor Chaim and Quar Marmareck, the first being named after Mr. Rokeach. Beth Moses Hospital in Brooklyn was founded with the aid of Mr. Rokeach and his son, Dr. Aaron Rokeach.
Mr. Rokeach is survived by two sons and three daughters. His wife died some years ago.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
