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U.S. NEWS Monday 29 october 2018

Shooting victims remembered: ‘The loss is incalculable’

Continued from Front situation, and he’d make it BERNICE AND SYLVAN SI- served on the board, and devoted time to charitable
work,” chatting about the MON: HELPING OTHERS AS he was a familiar face from work, according to Ste-
The youngest was 54. They weather or asking students A TEAM his walks around the neigh- paniak and neighbor Inez
included a pair of brothers about their parents and Bernice and Sylvan Simon borhood, with the couple’s Miller.
and a husband and wife. talking about his own, says were always ready to help dog in years past. And both Simons cared
Said Stephen Cohen, co- DeFelice. other people, longtime Sylvan, 86, was a retired deeply about Tree of Life
president of New Light And when DeFelice rec- friend and neighbor Jo Ste- accountant with a good synagogue.
Congregation: “The loss is ognized Hebrew letters on paniak says, and “they al- sense of humor — the kind “(They) were very devoted,
incalculable.” Cecil’s calendar, the elder ways did it with a smile and of person his former rabbi an active, steady pres-
CECIL AND DAVID ROSEN- man was delighted to learn always did it with gracious- felt comfortable joking with ence,” said Berkun, the
THAL: ‘SWEET, GENTLE, CAR- that his buddy was also ness.” after Sylvan broke his arm rabbi emeritus at the tem-
ING MEN’ Jewish and soon invited “Anything that they could a couple of weeks ago. ple, where the couple was
Cecil and David Rosenthal him to Tree of Life. do, and they did it as a (The rabbi, Alvin Berkun, among those massacred
went through life together DeFelice joined him on a team,” she said. quipped that Sylvan had Saturday.
with help from a disability- couple of occasions and The Simons were fixtures to get better so he could The Simons had married
services organization. And could see that Cecil cher- in in the townhome com- once again lift the Torah, there in a candlelight cer-
an important part of the ished his faith and the sense munity on the outskirts of the Jewish holy scripture.) emony nearly 62 years
brothers’ lives was the Tree of community he found at Pittsburgh where they had Bernice, 84, a former nurse, earlier, according to the
of Life synagogue, where temple. lived for decades. She’d loved classical music and Tribune-Review.q
they never missed a Satur- Emeritus Rabbi Alvin Berkun
day’s services, people who saw that, too, in Cecil, who
knew them say. according to his obituary
“If they were here, they was known as “the honor-
would tell you that is where ary mayor of Squirrel Hill,”
they were supposed to and David, who worked at
be,” Chris Schopf, a vice Goodwill Industries.
president of the organi- “They really found a home
zation ACHIEVA, said in a at the synagogue, and
statement. people reciprocated,” he
Achieva provides help with said.
daily living, employment Cecil carried a photo in
and other needs, and the his wallet of David, whom
organization had worked Schopf remembers as a
for years with Cecil, 59, man with “such a gentle
and David, 54, who were spirit.”
among the 11 killed in Sat- “Together, they looked out
urday’s deadly shooting. for each other,” she said.
They lived semi-indepen- “Most of all, they were kind,
dently, and Cecil was a good people with a strong
person who was up for all faith and respect for every-
sorts of activities: a con- one around.”
cert, lunch at Eat ‘n Park The two left an impression
— a regional restaurant on state Rep. David Fran-
chain known for its smiley- kel, who sometimes attends
face cookies — even a trip services at Tree of Life and
to the Duquesne University whose chief of staff is the
dining hall, recalls David Rosenthals’ sister.
DeFelice, a Duquesne se- “They were very sweet,
nior who was paired with gentle, caring men,” Fran-
him in a buddies program. kel said. “... I know that
“He was a very gregari- this community will really
ous person — loved be- mourn their loss because
ing social, loved people. they were such special
... You could put him any people.”