Eulogy to Rabbi Kenneth Roseman from Imam Ossama Bahloul published in Corpus Christi
Published in the Corpus Christi Caller-Times newspaper#interfaithcolleagues
Eulogy by Imam Ossama Bahloul:
Eulogy by Imam Ossama Bahloul:
Longtime Corpus Christi Rabbi Kenneth Roseman dies after battle with COVID-19
Rabbi Roseman and I met in the mid-2000s. He was the only rabbi in Corpus Christi, Texas and I was the only imam. He was not only the first rabbi that I had met but also the first person of his faith that I had a deep discussion regarding the conflict in the Middle East. He was direct, respectful, full of experience and committed to not only the Jewish faith but also the community at large. Our relationship continued to grow even after Ivey and I, along with our daughter Jana, moved to Middle Tennessee.
"His memory is a blessing to all who had the honor of meeting and learning from him and he leaves an incomparable legacy for our congregation and the Corpus Christi community as a whole," according to an obituary widely shared on social media over the weekend.
He had a doctorate in American-Jewish history and taught for several years. He brought his family to Corpus Christi in 2002 and was an award-winning author of books for teens and adults.
"His memory is a blessing to all who had the honor of meeting and learning from him and he leaves an incomparable legacy for our congregation and the Corpus Christi community as a whole," according to an obituary widely shared on social media over the weekend.
He had a doctorate in American-Jewish history and taught for several years. He brought his family to Corpus Christi in 2002 and was an award-winning author of books for teens and adults.
After his retirement he continued his efforts to educate and inspire. In 2017 he spoke to the Caller-Times about a YouTube series he created to help tell the history of Jews in America.
At the time he said he was proud of the free video series and expected nothing in return.
"I get nothing out of this," he said. "This is a gift."
A private memorial service for family will be held and a communal memorial service will be planned for the summer.
By Imam Ossama Bahloul
At the time he said he was proud of the free video series and expected nothing in return.
"I get nothing out of this," he said. "This is a gift."
A private memorial service for family will be held and a communal memorial service will be planned for the summer.
By Imam Ossama Bahloul
He was good at sharing his experiences and I loved hearing his perspective. He wrote to me in 2012, after his return from a trip to Morocco:
“One of the great insights was to see, once again, the diversity within the Muslim community of the world. Even within Morocco, there were Muslims of all different sorts, some wearing western clothing, some with head scarves and some fully covered.
Ken was generous in his reciprocation. I sent him two lines wishing him a Happy New Year and he responded:
“My dear friend and colleague,
Phyllis and I deeply treasure your New Year’s greeting. In this time when relationships between religious groups can be strained, these collegial words are most appreciated.
I want to share a nice story with you. Phyllis and I shall attend the annual convention of the National Association of Retired Reform Rabbis in Scottsdale, Arizona next January. I communicated to our Executive VP (a rabbi) about our desired hotel accommodations, and he assured us that it would be taken care of, but only after Yom Kippur. Why the delay? It turns out that the reservations agent at the hotel is named Shakira, and she had taken off the week to celebrate the Islamic new year with her parents and family. When she returns to work next Monday, Yom Kippur will be starting, and Rabbi Waldorf cannot process the reservation until after the holy day. Not only does this pose no problem, but it also illustrates how our two religions can work together with mutual respect. I think it’s a good American story, but all-too-rare in today’s world.”
In 2016 the Jewish and Islamic New Year aligned. I was pleased with the coincidence, so I wrote to my friend and he said in reply:
May this be a year of increasing shalom and security for this troubled and confusing world in which we live. I am very pleased that our sister religions share the new year today and hope that this calendar coincidence indicates a closeness in the future.”
In 2017, one of the troubling experiences that we encountered was the bomb threats the Jewish community received. In response, I wrote a published letter and part of it stated:
“I feel strongly that we must all stand in solidarity, to choose love over hate, equality over discrimination, and become advocates for building bridges instead of divisions. I want to emphasize that the phone threats to the Jewish Community Center in Nashville, is a threat against us all. We should each view these threats as a threat against our own homes, our own centers, our own families, our own rights and our own way of life. Because it is.”
Rabbi Roseman wrote in response to Imam:
“The goal of mutual respect and friendship across sectarian boundaries is far too important to allow hate-filled people to divert us from its pursuit. I also recognize the courage it takes to voice these sentiments in public. There are people in every group, your community and mine, who will distrust your sincerity and question your motives. Do not be dissuaded! Persist!
With deep admiration, Ken Roseman”
Rabbi Roseman was a devoted man who cared deeply about his faith, his community and the well-being of those around him. The Jewish community will miss him as a scholar and a leader, Corpus Christi will miss him as a good voice of reason, and I miss him as a good and dear friend.
By Imam Ossama Bahloul is the resident scholar of the Islamic Center of Nashville. He previously was imam of the Islamic Society of Southern Texas.
“One of the great insights was to see, once again, the diversity within the Muslim community of the world. Even within Morocco, there were Muslims of all different sorts, some wearing western clothing, some with head scarves and some fully covered.
Ken was generous in his reciprocation. I sent him two lines wishing him a Happy New Year and he responded:
“My dear friend and colleague,
Phyllis and I deeply treasure your New Year’s greeting. In this time when relationships between religious groups can be strained, these collegial words are most appreciated.
I want to share a nice story with you. Phyllis and I shall attend the annual convention of the National Association of Retired Reform Rabbis in Scottsdale, Arizona next January. I communicated to our Executive VP (a rabbi) about our desired hotel accommodations, and he assured us that it would be taken care of, but only after Yom Kippur. Why the delay? It turns out that the reservations agent at the hotel is named Shakira, and she had taken off the week to celebrate the Islamic new year with her parents and family. When she returns to work next Monday, Yom Kippur will be starting, and Rabbi Waldorf cannot process the reservation until after the holy day. Not only does this pose no problem, but it also illustrates how our two religions can work together with mutual respect. I think it’s a good American story, but all-too-rare in today’s world.”
In 2016 the Jewish and Islamic New Year aligned. I was pleased with the coincidence, so I wrote to my friend and he said in reply:
May this be a year of increasing shalom and security for this troubled and confusing world in which we live. I am very pleased that our sister religions share the new year today and hope that this calendar coincidence indicates a closeness in the future.”
In 2017, one of the troubling experiences that we encountered was the bomb threats the Jewish community received. In response, I wrote a published letter and part of it stated:
“I feel strongly that we must all stand in solidarity, to choose love over hate, equality over discrimination, and become advocates for building bridges instead of divisions. I want to emphasize that the phone threats to the Jewish Community Center in Nashville, is a threat against us all. We should each view these threats as a threat against our own homes, our own centers, our own families, our own rights and our own way of life. Because it is.”
Rabbi Roseman wrote in response to Imam:
“The goal of mutual respect and friendship across sectarian boundaries is far too important to allow hate-filled people to divert us from its pursuit. I also recognize the courage it takes to voice these sentiments in public. There are people in every group, your community and mine, who will distrust your sincerity and question your motives. Do not be dissuaded! Persist!
With deep admiration, Ken Roseman”
Rabbi Roseman was a devoted man who cared deeply about his faith, his community and the well-being of those around him. The Jewish community will miss him as a scholar and a leader, Corpus Christi will miss him as a good voice of reason, and I miss him as a good and dear friend.
"His memory is a blessing to all who had the honor of meeting and learning from him and he leaves an incomparable legacy for our congregation and the Corpus Christi community as a whole," according to an obituary widely shared on social media over the weekend.
He had a doctorate in American-Jewish history and taught for several years. He brought his family to Corpus Christi in 2002 and was an award-winning author of books for teens and adults.
He had a doctorate in American-Jewish history and taught for several years. He brought his family to Corpus Christi in 2002 and was an award-winning author of books for teens and adults.
After his retirement he continued his efforts to educate and inspire. In 2017, he spoke to the Caller-Times about a YouTube series he created to help tell the history of Jews in America.
At the time he said he was proud of the free video series and expected nothing in return.
"I get nothing out of this," he said. "This is a gift."
A private memorial service for family will be held and a communal memorial service will be planned for the summer.
At the time he said he was proud of the free video series and expected nothing in return.
"I get nothing out of this," he said. "This is a gift."
A private memorial service for family will be held and a communal memorial service will be planned for the summer.
By Imam Ossama Bahloul is the resident scholar of the Islamic Center of Nashville. He previously was imam of the Islamic Society of Southern Texas.
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