The family of Rabbi Sholom Ber Lipskar zt”l, rov in Bal Harbour, Florida, concluded the shivah mourning period this week.
In the days following his petirah, expressions of grief and support poured in from across Florida and around the globe, as people remembered Rabbi Lipskar’s immense contributions and enduring legacy.
Among the many who came to offer condolences was U.S. Senator Rick Scott, who traveled to Florida immediately after casting a vote in Washington, D.C. He went straight to the shivah house, where he spent time with Rabbi Lipskar’s widow, Rebbetzin Chani Lipskar, and their family.
Senator Scott was joined by Rabbi Shneur Z. Oirechman, director of Chabad of the Panhandle. Others who came to pay their respects included Rabbi Aaron Lipskar, executive director of the Aleph Institute; Maor Elbaz Starinsky, Consul General of Israel in Miami; and Mark Rosenberg, executive director of Chesed Shel Emes.
Rabbi Lipskar was interred at the Old Montefiore Cemetery in Queens, New York. A matzeivah was erected at his gravesite, inscribed with highlights of a life lived with purpose and devotion.
The headstone notes his founding of the Landau Yeshiva in South Beach, his establishment and leadership of The Shul of Bal Harbour in Surfside, and his role in creating the Aleph Institute, an organization dedicated to serving Jewish inmates, military personnel, and their families.
The inscription includes two phrases that captured his essence: the Rebbe Maharash’s call to “Lechatchila Ariber”—to rise above obstacles rather than be deterred by them—and a favorite American motto of his: “Get it done.”
{Matzav.com}