„You know how they say there are people who just lighten up a room? You know that clich\u00e9 about people whose laugh is infectious? That was Uncle Jerry.“<\/b>
\nThe gunman didn\u2019t ambush Dr. Jerry Rabinowitz during prayers.
As the shooter stalked his victims in the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Rabinowitz rushed to help the wounded, according to his nephew Avishai Ostrin.
The price Rabinowitz paid for his compassion was his life.
\u201cHe was a doctor, a healer,\u201d Ostrin said in a Facebook post Sunday . \u201cWhen he heard shots he ran outside to try and see if anyone was hurt and needed a doctor.\u201d
He added: \u201cThat was Uncle Jerry, that\u2019s just what he did.\u201d
Rabinowitz, 66, was one of 11 people killed in the mass shooting at the synagogue when authorities say Robert Bowers opened fire during services Saturday. A married couple, two brothers and a 97-year-old woman were also among those who died.
A geriatrician and family physician from Edgewood Borough, Rabinowitz was remembered for his laughter and warmth. He is survived by his wife, Miri; mother, Sally; and brother, Bill.
\u201cYou know how they say there are people who just lighten up a room? You know that clich\u00e9 about people whose laugh is infectious? That was Uncle Jerry,\u201d Ostrin said. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t a clich\u00e9. It was just his personality. His laughter, with his chest heaving up and down, with a huge smile on his face \u2014 that was Uncle Jerry.\u201d
A former patient poured out his grief as well as his appreciation for the doctor who held his hand \u2014 literally \u2014 during the worst days of his life.
\u201cHow I wish I had reached out last year and told him I was \u2018making it\u2019 finally, and sent him a picture as proof,\u201d Michael Kerr told NBC News. \u201cYou see, I went through many, many dark times.\u201d
Kerr got to know Rabinowitz in the \u201cold days\u201d for those with HIV, before there was an effective treatment for the poorly understood disease that devastated a generation.
\u201cHe was the one to go to,\u201d said Kerr, who was Rabinowitz\u2019s patient until he left Pittsburgh for New York in 2004. \u201cHe was known in the community for keeping us alive the longest. He often held our hands (without rubber gloves) and always, always hugged us as we left his office.\u201d
Colleagues shared similar memories of the doctor.
Dr. Ken Ciesielka, who went to college and medical school at the University of Pennsylvania with Rabinowitz, said he was \u201cone of the finest people I\u2019ve ever met.\u201d
\u201cHe had a moral compass stronger than anyone I have ever known,\u201d Ciesielka told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette .
Augie Siriano, a caretaker at Tree of Life, remembered other victims he considered friends or even family.
Sylvan Simon, 86, and his wife, Bernice, 84, \u201cwere just the nicest people,\u201d he told NBC News affiliate WPXI.
And siblings David and Cecil Rosenthal were \u201clike brothers to me,\u201d Siriano said.
\u201cI was tying Cecil\u2019s shoes and stuff because it was kind of hard for him,\u201d the caretaker added.
An organization that provides residential and employment services to people with disabilities said in a statement it was \u201cdevastated at the loss\u201d of the Rosenthal brothers.
\u201cCecil and David had a love for life and for those around them,\u201d the ACHIEVA statement said. \u201cOur collective hearts are heavy with sympathy.\u201d
Richard Gottfried, another of the 11 victims, was a dentist who volunteered his services with Catholic Charities.
The 65-yer-old known to many as „Dr. Rich“ was Debi Salvin’s twin, and Bonni Huffman’s „baby brother.“
„Growing up, he as the only boy, he had three sisters that he had to deal with,“ Salvin said on „Today.“ „It\u2019s just unimaginable that somebody that was so full of life is gone in an instant.“<\/p>\n

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