Pittsburgh, PA – Rabbi Yitzchak Chinn, the senior Orthodox rabbi in Pittsburgh who during his half-century at Gemilas Chesed Synagogue motivated hundreds of families in McKeesport and White Oak to embrace and study Judaism and live Jewish lives, died over the weekend at UPMC Presbyterian. He was 78.
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Together with his wife, Denah, Rabbi Chinn arrived in McKeesport in 1958 to head the city’s oldest synagogue, Gemilas Chesed, founded in 1886 by Hungarian Jews. Within a few years, when U.S. Steel wanted to expand, the synagogue was forced to move.
The Chinns chose to rebuild the community in the nearby suburb of White Oak. In short time, there were 300 members. The Chinns built the area’s thriving Jewish population further through a four-day-a-week after-school program, plus a Sunday school. Later, a boys’ mesivta, or high school, was added in White Oak.
In addition, the Chinns developed unique programs for families. One, called Cherish Your Shabbat, was intended to interest people in observing the Jewish Sabbath, from sundown Friday to after sundown Saturday.
As it grew in popularity, teens from Pittsburgh would travel to White Oak and stay with families for the weekend. Local couples and families would bring food to the synagogue Friday afternoon. On Shabbat, the synagogue would be taken over with classes, meals, services and playing children.
“He had a gift and a pleasantness that I haven’t seen in anyone else,” said Cindy Guttman, of White Oak, a member of Gemilas Chesed. “His passing is like taking a piece of everybody’s heart.” [PG]
He was a very refined man. He and another family held White Oak together for decades. He will be missed. And yes, everyone in the yeshiva and chassidic world knows who reb Shrage Faivel tz”l was, even if they didn’t learn in Torah Vdaas
Reb Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz of Torah V’daas
Anon. 12:PM. Reb Shraga Faivl, Who?
Does the entire (Yiddishe) world know who you have in mind?! Don’t be esoteric! (pls. lk. up in dict.)
p.s: pls. note that the (second part of the Q. is rhetorical!)
a talmid of reb shraga feivel zatzal
He (The Rabbi) was one of the “Thousand points of Light” as former President GHW Bush expressed it. But, really, evey Yid is a Diamond (worth the equivalent of Billions of points of light). This Rabbi A”H did so much for Kiruv, and his name wasn’t in the “Papers” every day of the week.
I went to high school there for four years and each year i spent there i learned more and more what a great person he was.
He was the kindest person one would ever know. he knew how to speak to people and get their attention on what ever level they were on and got through to each individual with great sucsess.
the white oak community and klal yisroyel lost a gtreat individual, teacher and rabbi.