NORTHRIDGE RABBI DIES IN AUTO CRASH STEVEN TUCKER REMEMBERED AS CARING, COMFORTING LEADER.Byline: Dan Laidman Staff Writer Rabbi Steven Tucker of Northridge, known for his leadership in the Jewish community and for comforting his congregation in times of trouble, died this week in an automobile crash, colleagues said Friday. Tucker, 47, had presided over the congregation at Temple Ramat Zion for 13 years. ``This is a terrible shock and loss for all of us in the community,'' said Rabbi Mark S. Diamond, executive vice president of the Board of Rabbis of Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, . The board was one of several organizations in which Tucker was active. He also served as regional president for the Rabbinical Assembly Originally set up as the alumni association of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTS), the Rabbinical Assembly (RA) is the official, international body of Conservative rabbis, with some 1400 members. , a 100- year-old international association of Conservative rabbis. ``He was known to be a very kind, pastoral rabbi who was very concerned with the individual conditions and situations, and there are a lot that come up for a rabbi, (like) questions of birth, questions of intermarriage in·ter·mar·ry intr.v. in·ter·mar·ried, in·ter·mar·ry·ing, in·ter·mar·ries 1. To marry a member of another group. 2. To be bound together by the marriages of members. 3. , questions of sickness, questions of death,'' said Rabbi Harold Schulweis of Valley Beth Shalom Valley Beth Shalom is a Conservative Synagogue in Encino, Los Angeles, California. With over 1,800 member families[1] it is one of the largest synagogues in Los Angeles and one of the largest Conservative synagogues in the United States. . ``He was a comforter and a consoler and a very gentle person.'' Details of Tucker's death were unavailable Friday. But colleagues say it left a void at the North San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. synagogue. ``It's a pretty difficult time around the temple,'' said Mitch Daks, a member of Ramat Zion's executive board. ``He really went out of his way to assist families in their times of need.'' Just before the Jewish New Year, Tucker spent the night in the hospital with the family of a dying congregation member, Daks said. ``I would say that he was at his best when he was dealing with life-cycle events,'' Daks said. ``He really went out of his way to comfort families when there were difficult times.'' Diamond, who conducted joint Rosh Hashanah Rosh Hashanah Jewish New Year. Sometimes called the Day of Judgment, Rosh Hashanah falls on Tishri 1 (in September or October) and ushers in a 10-day period of self-examination and penitence that ends with Yom Kippur. services with Tucker for several years, recalled a sermon Tucker delivered in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. ``His approach was to take traditional texts and try to bring comfort,'' Diamond said. ``I think he was a great healer healer Mainstream medicine A romantic synonym for physician. See Traditional healing. for the congregation.'' Tucker, who was married and had three sons, studied at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , Diamond said. Upon arriving at the Northridge temple, one of his top priorities was to build youth programs to encourage young people to stay active in religious life. Ramat Zion services were notable for several reasons, including the participation of children and teenagers, Diamond said. Tucker fostered such involvement, he said, by connecting with children and adults in a unique and profound way. ``He was what we call in Yiddish or Hebrew a mensch mensch or mensh n. pl. mensch·es or mensch·en Informal A person having admirable characteristics, such as fortitude and firmness of purpose: ,'' Diamond said. ``He was a really warm, caring, welcoming individual and rabbi and I think that showed through in everything he did.'' Plans for a memorial service had not been finalized Friday. Staff Writer Josh Kleinbaum contributed to this report. Dan Laidman, (213) 978-0390 dan.laidman(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: TUCKER |
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