Yesterday, I was informed that Moishe Rosen died on Wednesday, May 19, 2010 at 8:30 PM. He was surrounded by his wife of 60 years, Ceil Rosen, his grandson Asher, and his daughter Ruth.I knew he had been very ill, so his death was not a surprise.
There is a Moishe Rosen Memory website already set up. I took a look at the memory video that has been put together in his memory. I admit, that I did cry. I always wondered what I'd do when I heard that Moishe Rosen died. Unlike many of the people out there that think of him as an icon or legend, I think of him as a man who did some things that affected the lives of many people. Some people loved him, but others hated him.
There is a place on the memory website to share one's thoughts, but my thoughts are too long to be put there, so I'm going to put them here.
My first introduction to Moishe Rosen came in 1977. I read a book he wrote about JFJ that he wrote in 1974. When I finished the book, I felt I knew the man. His book talked about young and innovative people that seemed to unite under him. I wanted to be a part of what he had started.
I wanted to work for his organization and wrote a letter to his San Francisco office asking for a job. I received a note back from one of his assistants that suggested I first move to San Francisco and then after the group knew me, that perhaps I could apply to work for JFJ.
I decided not to do that, and moved to Los Angeles in the summer of 1978. There, I linked up with the LA Branch of JFJ, but did not meet Moishe Rosen. In fact, I didn't meet Moishe Rosen face to face until 1982 (I think) at a JFJ Ingathering in Santa Barbara.
Dan and I became official JFJ volunteers around that time. I remember only talking to Moishe at Ingatherings during our volunteer years. Once, at one Ingathering, he came up to me, looked me in the eye, and stated how much he appreciated me and Dan. Dan remembered having a short talk with him at one Ingathering.
That was the extent of interactions until early 1988.
You see, in 1988. Dan and I went on JFJ staff. Before going on staff, we flew to San Francisco and met with Moishe. I remember going to a sushi restaurant with him for lunch. I ordered a salad, but Dan was convinced by Moishe to order sushi. I learned later that sushi was Moishe's favorite food!
We spent most of the day with Moishe during that "pre-interview." He asked a lot of personal questions and I remember being very drained after our day there.
A few weeks later we returned to San Francisco for a JFJ Council Meeting and were accepted on staff.
In the afternoon, on that Council Meeting day, after finding out that we were accepted on JFJ staff, Moishe asked me to walk with him to his office from the Hospitality House. (His office was at 60 Haight Street, and the Hospitality House was at 160 Haight.) I went to his office (called Executory), sat down, and began reading Moishe's books. ( I learned later that Moishe didn't like anyone to touch his books, but he didn't seem to mind me touching them that day.) He went into a smaller office inside Executory and took a nap. I waited. When his nap ended, we walked back to the Hospitality House.
That day at the JFJ council meeting was very draining. I remember Moishe telling me that I relied too much on my husband. I would have to change, he stated. He told me, in front of the entire Council that JFJ would help me change. I also remember him asking us if we were going to stay in "The City" that night. I answered that we were going to stay at my friend's house in Mountain View. He responded, "That is not The City." Soon I learned that people that lived in San Francisco called San Francisco "The City.
When we began working on JFJ staff in April of 1988, I had little interaction with Moishe, but Dan saw him every day because Dan worked in Executory serving as Susan Perlman's assistant.
Then, in the summer of 1988, we both went on Campaign in New York City. I'll never forget that Campaign. Moishe was there the entire summer and ran that Campaign. I don't remember or not if he was up as early as the Campaigners, but he was always there when the group ate meals together. He told us not to use our real names out on the street and to take on names from Star Trek and Star Wars. He was "Mr. Spock" I recall. I chose the name "Princess Leah" and throughout that Campaign, in my conversations on the street with strangers, I called myself "Leah," not JO ANN!
Once I remember going out one night on Campaign with his "team." We were told to stay a close as possible to our team leader, so I walked as close behind Moishe as possible. He was walking towards the New York Public Library. Once we arrived, he went up the steps and began reciting a street testimony. It was like something out of a movie about NYC!
That summer he announced that he wanted me to pass out broadsides on my Rollerblades, so someone from San Francisco shipped them out to NYC. I really liked broadsiding on Rollerblades!
1988 passed. I don't know when our schedule changed, but soon I saw Moishe at least once a week in Executory since the San Francisco branch wrote postcards with Moishe every Friday afternoon. (Maybe we also wrote postcards with him on Tuesday, but I'm not sure.)
1989 began. By then, I wasn't sure I liked my job with JFJ. Moishe thought it would be good for me to go with the JFJ women to NYC for a long weekend of fun. I did have a great time. I remember shopping, eating, and just enjoying being in NYC! The attached photo was taken specifically for Moishe during that weekend in New York City.
When the weekend ended, and I saw Moishe at JFJ headquarters, he told me that he knew I would have a good time and was glad he had decided to send me on that weekend. That weekend truly was a gift I'll never forget!
By the Spring of 1989, I really wanted out of my JFJ job. I still wanted to work for the organization, but wanted a part time job. It turned out that I stayed with the job until the end of August. In September, I began a leave of absence.
It was in early September, that Dan and I renewed our wedding vows at a beautiful ceremony at the Hospitality House. Moishe officiated. He told me how pretty and happy I looked.
After my leave of absence, I met with Moishe and was absolutely shocked when he told me I could not work for JFJ. He fired me! It was a very bad experience since he was not nice to me at that meeting. Years later, he told me he thought he was doing a good thing by telling me I could not work for JFJ, but at the time I was so very upset.
A day or so later, Moishe sent me a letter telling me he was thinking about me.
In January of 1990, I decided to get the funds together to go to a Co-Laborer ingathering of sorts that took place in Fort Myers, Florida. Moishe and Ceil came. It was a very precious time for the people who attended since they all got to spend a lot of time with Moishe that week. There was not a great crowd there; it was an intimate group. I remember everyone going to the beach and how happy Moishe and Ceil looked in Florida. On our last day in Florida, we all at a huge brunch together at the Florida hotel. I remember sitting with Ceil and Moishe during that meal. The attached photo shows that group of Co-Laborers together in Florida with Moishe in the center.
Dan and I only stayed in San Francisco about 2 more years. During that time, I began teaching ice skating in San Mateo and I also worked 3 days a week in a medical office. I was very busy, but volunteered a bit with JFJ during that time. Sometimes I would go to "Postcards" in Executory on Tuesdays after I was done teaching skating. I went because I wanted Moishe to see that I was doing well.
During that time, Moishe wife, Ceil, took an interest in skating. Sometimes I would pick her up and take her to the ice rink with me. It was fun to spend that quality time with her as we drove to and from the San Mateo ice rink. She told me once, when I filled up my gas tank at the self-service pump that she had never put gas in her car on her own! She was just so very sweet.
Another time, Dan and I volunteered to help out at a huge meal at Moishe's house. I remember he and Ceil had two kitchens in that house. The bottom floor had a smaller kitchen in the walk-out basement which was used for parties. As I was washing dishes in that smaller kitchen and putting things away, a piece of what I thought was a kitchen drawer, came off completely! . It was not a drawer, but just a cabinet cover. I put the piece back in place, but really was nervous and wondered if I should confess that I may have damaged that cabinet. I never did confess. For years I felt guilty! To this day, I've wondered if that cabinet is still broken! I wonder if Moishe or Ceil ever noticed that the cabinet cover broke and wondered who the culprit was!
We left San Francisco in late 1991 for Colorado Springs. We had a bit of interaction with Moishe as we left. He sent me a nice letter stating that he believed we would be happy in Colorado Springs and once we arrived he sent us a Mezzuzah case to put on our the doorpost of our home in Colorado.
A few years later, we returned to San Francisco around Christmas time and went to Moishe's house for a party on New Year's Eve. That is probably the last time I saw Moishe face to face.
Years passed. In 2002 or so, I began the ex-jfj listserv and website. I wrote a book about my JFJ experience. Then, in 2003, the time came when the whole ex-jfj thing fell apart. It was during that time I had numerous conversations via phone, email, and chat directly with Moishe. He looked at photos of my children and sometimes talked to me about skating or about whatever was going on.
I found that sometimes talking to Moishe did not make me feel so good, so our conversations and interaction faded over time. My anger at JFJ faded as time passed too. Dan's accident in 2005 made all that happened in the past seem trivial.
I've had very little interaction with Moishe in recent years, but he did comment on some of the things I posted on Facebook and seemed a bit interested in what my kids were doing with skating.
Anyway, hearing he died, makes me sad. One article says he was like a Godfather. Yes, in some ways, that does describe him.. I told him once that he was like "The Godfather" and he thought that was very funny! So many people were in awe of him, but they also feared him.
Today, I found out that my name and actions are are included in an article in Christianity Today about the late Moishe Rosen. I feel so honored. Wow..I feel I am now part of a history book...
