We regret to inform you of the passing of Rabbi Howard S. Joseph ZT”L, beloved father of Rabbi Dr. Josh Joseph, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Orthodox Union.
Rabbi Howard S. Joseph, a mainstay of Modern Orthodoxy in Canada for nearly four decades, has served as Rabbi of the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue- the oldest synagogue in Canada, since 1970. Rabbi Joseph received his BS in mathematics in 1961 from Yeshiva University, and later his MA in Hebrew literature from Revel in 1964. That same year, he received his rabbinic ordination from RIETS, under Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik and Dr. Samuel Belkin.
Rabbi Joseph served the Spanish and Portuguese congregation for forty years with devotion and passion. He was beloved and known throughout the city, Canada, Israel, and even the world. He was a rabbi’s rabbi, a great teacher and enthusiastic member of our community. As was noted he was a man of peace, always unifying the members of the congregation. He loved and respected all.
Rabbi Joseph has also held communal positions emphasizing interfaith work, including Chairman of the Religious and Inter-Religious Affairs Committee of Canadian Jewish Congress, President of the Canadian Christian Jewish Consultation Committee, and President of the Montreal Committee for Jewish-Christian Dialogue. He has also served as President of the Rabbinical Council of Canada and of the Board of Jewish Ministers of Montreal, and as a member of the Rabbinical Council of Canada – Beth Din for Conversion in Montreal.
Rabbi Joseph has also dedicated a significant portion of his career to education. Since 1973, he has taught at in the Department of Religion at Concordia University, and was a visiting lecturer at Yeshivat Har-Etzion in Israel, Quebec’s Laval University, the University of Montreal, and SUNY-Albany. He is the author of Why Antisemitism? A Translation of The Remnant of Israel, An Essay on Covenant, Torah, and History (1996), and the co-editor of Truth and Compassion: Essays in Judaism and Religion in Memory of Rabbi Dr. Solomon Frank; he has also published numerous scholarly articles in scholarly journals, magazines, and anthologies.
The levaya will take place at 10:00 AM EDT on Sunday, August 15 at the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue of Montreal, 4894 Saint-Kevin Avenue, Montreal, Quebec, H3W1P2 Canada. The funeral is private and will be livestreamed via Zoom. Click here for the link.
Shiva will take place from Sunday afternoon, August 15 through Friday, August 20 at 4300 Demaisonneuve West #616 Westmount, QC H3Z3C7 Canada.
Minyan times are as follows:
Mincha/Maariv: 7:30 PM
Shacharis: 7:30 AM
Rabbi Dr. Josh Joseph will return to sit shiva in New York beginning Wednesday afternoon, August 18, through Friday morning, August 20 at 136 Monroe Street Lawrence, NY 11559.
Minyan times are as follows:
Mincha/Maariv Wednesday, August 18: 7:30 PM
Shacharis Thursday, August 19: 7:30 AM
Mincha/Maariv Thursday, August 19: 7:30 PM
Shacharis Friday, August 20: 7:30 AM
Mincha Friday, August 20: 1:35 PM
Please do not visit after 9:30 PM.
May the family be comforted with the mourners of Tzion and Yerushalayim