From Peter G. Engelman (Baltimore, MD)
When Rabbi Mark G. Loeb honored me by writing the foreword to my book, "The Minyanaires," and granted me an interview of his background and beliefs, he left a legacy of words by which Jews and gentiles can come to know him and his philosophy for generations to come. Rabbi Loeb made every word count which is one reason he was regarded as such an outstanding orator. He was a special mentor and understanding friend when I needed his counseling most. He was a giant of a man, full of compassion and a humbleness that was beneath his greatness.
From Jerry Schnydman (Baltimore, MD)
Tammy and I joined Beth El 34 years ago because we liked Rabbi Loeb. He officiated at our son, Andy's Bar Mitzvah and marriage and our daughter, Becky's Bat Mitzvah.Even though my mother's Rabbi officiated at her funeral, Rabbi Loeb came to the funeral. Of course he was brilliant but he was a mensch. Both of our kids called me when they heard the news. For them this news of his passing was incredulous. They have called a number of times during the last several days.You see, Rabbi Loeb touched Tammy and me and Andy and Becky. He touched us all. Farewell Rabbi Loeb.
From Micah Kleid (Baltimore, MD)
I had the privilege of working with Rabbi Loeb while I was a member of the Beth El staff from 2006-2008. Every moment with him was a learning experience, whether it was around the lunch table or at his office during a meeting. One memory I will never forget is when I asked him for a restaurant suggestion in a specific part of New York City. I told him that I needed a place near Central Park to take my girlfriend, with the plan to tell her I loved her before dinner while in a carriage ride through the park. He suggested a phenomenal restaurant that really made the evening all that much more special. As busy as he always was, he genuinely cared about each and every person and, even after I left Beth El, we would stay in touch so he could know what was going on in my life. The last time I saw him was at my friend's wedding in August, which he officiated, and I am so glad that we had one last chance to talk. His passing comes as a shock to me and I am overcome wi th profound sadness, but I know that he is in a better place, probably already teaching a class in Heaven about opera and art.
From The Fradin Family (Pikesville, MD)
The impact that Rabbi Mark Loeb had on the lives of the Fradin Family over the years can not be measured or described in words. Words alone are inadequate. The Eulogy for a beloved wife and mother and grandmother rang with a sincerity and emotion of "menschlikeit" that could never be equalled for those closest to Marilynn Fradin. The Bar Mitzvah of a son....Bat Mitzvah of a daughter...A daughters' Marriage ceremony...a grandson's Briss...A granddaughters' Baby Naming...and most recently, The Simcha of my Marriage to Ailene. Rabbi Loeb will forever have a revered place of highest honor in my heart and in my mind. Mark, I will surely miss you but rest in peace knowing that even of more importance, I will never forget you. Unlike only the closest of Family, the experiences of you in my life, through good and bad, will forever be an indelible imprint.Your Eternal Friend.....Stan Fradin
From Rabbi Moshe Druin
I am so sorry to hear of this. I know his memory will be a blessing to all those who were privileged to know and learn from him!
From Irving Cramer (Emeryville, California)
As the founding Executive Director of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger I had countless blessings. Many were the people I met and became friends with in the course of our work.Rabbi Loeb, a former Chair of the Board of Directors, was in the VERY good friend category. Thus a blessing to me. And always remained so.When I left MAZON in 1999 he sent me a gift. It is a crystal ball depicting our planet. Pristine in it's beauty, and pure in our shared efforts, to make our world safer and more decent for all people. It remains on my desk today, and always will.There are no "right" number of dsys to live. Only that those days be filled with goodness and decency and the efforts to bring such things about. In that sense Mark did live a very long life.I already miss him.
From Gil Kleiner, Executive Director, Beth El (Baltimore, MD)
My family and I are truly saddened by the loss of our dear friend, mentor and Rabbi. I will miss him as I miss my father. His advice and counsel will be with me forever.
From Doris Kearns Goodwin:
How very sad to read this. He was so full of life, so vital, that it is hard to imagine that this has happened. How wonderful that you had that magnificent tribute to him before he died so he could see how much everyone loved him and appreciated his magnificent work. I am so glad to have been a small part of it.
From Ken Wolman:
Mark Loeb may very well have saved if not my life then some portion of my
sanity back in April 1997. It had nothing whatsoever to do with music. It
had everything in the world to do with a man who had compassion and what's
known as *rachmones*. The wonder of the man is that he never tried to act
like the charitable giver. He just was. But now that he is gone, I can tell
what he did for me.
My dead marriage halted on a Saturday in April 1997 when I moved out of the
house I'd occupied with my wife and second child, and moved into an
apartment about 13 miles away. I was shell-shocked and frightened. I had not
lived on my own since 1968 and I had no idea of how to fend for myself, how
to shop, how to do much of anything. I was a ruin. I spent over an hour on
the phone with Nancy Tague who
helped me get through that first day. I don't remember Sunday. And then came
Monday.
I got to work in New York and realized that it was the first night of
Passover. I had lost my Jewishness back in 1992 but suddenly I felt a need
to reconnect. I had no place to go that night to eat the meal and help
recite the story. If I was bereft before, this was the worst blow of all.
So I began calling Jewish Federations all over New York City and New Jersey.
Are there any homes that will open their door, on this of all nights, to the
person with no place to go? The answer was always the same: a coldly
delivered "We have no such provisions." It was a real simple message: no
home, no family, no Jew. And I thought of the admonition not to turn your
back on the stranger because you once were strangers in the land of Egypt.
How sad when people forget where they came from....
Then, early in the afternoon, I became desperate. I put a plea out on this
list, a request for information, maybe even a request for a seat at
someone's Seder table. Right, it was not opera-related except as my life was
starting to feel like Hagen's in the last scene of Götterdämmerung. Nobody,
bless all of you who were here then, ripped me for going "off message." I
got lots of sympathy and empathy but no chair. Well, the whole thing was
sort of a nasty surprise.
And then, around 2:30, the desk phone rang. Because I worked for a large
business, my phone number had to be on my signature. The caller was Rabbi
Mark Loeb. What follows is a pretty accurate paraphrase of what he said to
me.
"Ken, no Jew should be alone on the first night of Passover. Go to Penn
Station and get on the 4 PM Metroliner to Baltimore. There will be a paid
round trip ticket waiting for you in New York. When you get to Baltimore,
take a cab to the address I'll give you, ask the driver to wait, and I'll
come out with the fare. You'll be part of our Seder. Sleep over here and
I'll drive you back to the train station in the morning."
I was dazed. I did as he said. My boss was quite understanding.
At his apartment I met a collection of his friends, acquaintances, and
perhaps other people he'd rescued. In the background, Carreras was singing "Rachel, quand du Seigneur." It was certainly not a Orthodox or "orthodox" occasion: one of Mark's guests of honor was a Roman Catholic Monsignor
wearing his clericals. I do not remember much, except that it was the most
incredible Seder I'd ever attended and one that was unmatched for warmth and
fellowship. The food was catered, the wine flowed, the mood was sedate but
deeply happy.
Then Mark sat up with me until after 1 AM. He let me speak through my
numbness and vent about what was happening, what I had helped to happen, and
the things over which I had no control. I was going into the unknown and I
was scared to death of the dark. He listened, he reassured, he was a calm
and steadying presence at a moment where nothing felt anchored.
And in the morning he put me on the 7:30 Metroliner back to New York. A
woman I worked with asked how it went. I said "It was transcendent." I
wasn't exaggerating and I wasn't joking. It really was.
So this evening I read the list notice while sitting in a wi-fi cafe in
Morristown, NJ. I was about to have dinner with my two sons, one of whom was
visiting from Washington state. Yes, we are all mortal. But Mark's was a
death that struck me with unaccustomed force. Rabbi Mark Loeb, you were a
mensch, a profoundly empathetic human being of great worth, and I am one
among many who will greatly miss you.
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