Rabbi Bram served Congregation Temple Israel, Creve Coeur, Missouri as assistant rabbi for 2 years (1985-1987) and would later serve as their associate rabbi for 7 years (1988-1995). He is listed along with other rabbis who served St. Louis congregations. The full list can be found at SAINT LOUIS RABBIS.
_________________________
OBITUARY
RABBI ERIC J. BRAM, OF SUBURBAN TEMPLE-KOL AMI IN BEACHWOOD, DIES AT 52
Published: Thursday, September 02, 2010, 10:00 AM
By Ed Wittenberg, Sun News
BEACHWOOD -- "Rabbi Eric J. Bram, of suburban Temple-Kol Ami, will be remembered for his compassion, his humor and his tolerance," said Barbara Feldman, president of the congregation.
"The community has lost a terrific man," Feldman said. "He worked to create a community of worshippers that didn't depend on him.
"That was his legacy, to make us a community. He has forever changed who we are."
Bram, spiritual leader of Suburban Temple-Kol Ami since 2002, died Aug. 17 at the Cleveland Clinic due to complications from a brain tumor. He was 52.
Last September, just before a High Holy Day service, Bram was rushed from the reform synagogue in Beachwood to a hospital with what proved to be a brain tumor.
He returned to the pulpit early this year, but stepped down Aug. 1, when he assumed the title of rabbi emeritus, to focus on treatment for his illness.
A funeral service was held Aug. 19 at Suburban Temple-Kol Ami. He was buried at Lake View Cemetery.
"Our warm memories of him will nudge us to reach higher for inspiration and dig deeper for inner strength," Feldman said at the service.
"He let us know that we each had gifts to offer by the way he respected, honored and laughed with us."
Feldman said Bram always wanted it "to be about the congregation, not about him."
"That will help us to continue on and to be very robust in our survival," she said.
Bram, a Chicago native, lived in Solon with his wife of 30 years, Deborah, who served as Suburban Temple's religious education director.
He helped the temple expand its religious education program through high school, form an adult group to study the Torah, renovate the sanctuary, start a volunteer choir and update the prayer book.
Before coming to Suburban Temple, Bram was senior rabbi of Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation from 1995-2002. Prior to that, he was associate rabbi at Congregation Temple Israel in St. Louis from 1987-1995.
He also served as chaplain of the United States Penitentiary in Marion, IL, and he was a rabbinical student mentor for many years at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati.
Bram was ordained at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, where he earned a master's degree in Hebrew letters. He earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
A member of the Union for Reform Judaism outreach commission, Bram was a trustee of the local American Jewish Committee and Jewish Community Federation and the Bellefaire Jewish Children's Bureau.
In addition to his wife, Bram is survived by a daughter, Jessica; a son, Daniel; and a brother, Brian.
Contributions are suggested to the Suburban Temple-Kol Ami Rabbi Eric J. Bram Scholarship Fund, 22401 Chagrin Blvd., Beachwood 44122, or to the Rabbi Eric Bram Youth Scholarship Fund, care of Goldman Union Camp Institute, 9349 Moore Road, Zionsville, Ind. 46077.
Contact Wittenberg at
[email protected]
_________________________
OBITUARY
BY ROBERT A. COHN, Editor-in-Chief Emeritus
St. Louis Jewish Light
September 1, 2010
RABBI ERIC BRAM REMEMBERED AS TEACHER, COLLEAGUE AND FRIEND
Rabbi Eric J. Bram, who served as associate rabbi at Temple Israel in St. Louis from 1986-1995, and who was spiritual leader of Suburban Temple-Kol Ami in Cleveland, died Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2010. He was 52. Rabbi Bram, who had served at Suburban Temple-Kol Ami from 2002-2010, had stepped down from its pulpit on Aug. 1 to focus on treatment for a brain tumor.
Both in Cleveland and in St. Louis, Rabbi Bram was warmly remembered for his rabbinical service and wisdom, his sense of humor and the love of his family and many friends. Barbara Feldman, president of Suburban Temple-Kol Ami was quoted in the Cleveland Jewish News as saying, "We can't easily put into words how deeply we feel about Rabbi Bram and his family. His legacy is one we will build on long into the future. He embodied tolerance, inclusions, learning, and especially a spirit of close community. He has forever changed who we are."
In St. Louis, Rabbi Mark Shook, Emeritus of Temple Israel, recalled that Rabbi Bram had been engaged by Rabbi Alvan D. Rubin in 1986, and had stayed on when Rabbi Shook became senior rabbi. "He was a warm, caring, funny and very loveable rabbi, teacher, colleague and friend who made Judaism very accessible to people who may have drifted away," Rabbi Shook said. "He taught the ‘Jewish Life and Thought' course at St. Louis University and was a gifted teacher who had an almost magical connection with his students. It is still unbelievable that he is gone. It was clear to me at the funeral that all the things we loved about Eric in St. Louis continued on with his congregation in Ohio. Words cannot describe how much he will be missed. Our hearts go out to Debbie, Jessica and Daniel Bram and the rest of their family."
Rabbi Jim Bennett of Congregation Shaare Emeth, considered Rabbi Bram to have been his best friend; the two shared a 30-year friendship. Rabbi Bennett, who said he was "devastated" by Rabbi Bram's passing, offered a eulogy to Rabbi Bram at the funeral service last week. "Eric was always my lifeline, my consultant when I didn't know what to do or say. He would have known exactly what to do and say today. He'd say, ‘Keep it short. Our people have short attention spans.' Sorry, buddy. I can't do that today," Rabbi Bennett said.
Rabbi Bennett added, "Eric loved humor, especially the odd, the ironic, the kitsch, the strange...He loved to keep people guessing, to catch us all off guard. Sadly, his joke cannot be truth today - we know that Eric is gone from this world. We mourn, we weep, we hold each other close, and we remember."
Another St. Louisan who remembers Rabbi Bram with fondness and respect is Rosalyn Borg, former regional director of the St. Louis Chapter of the American Jewish Committee. She said Rabbi Bram served on the board of directors of the St. Louis Chapter of the AJC, chairing the citywide Annual Interfaith Lecture Series, sponsored by nine different denominations and coordinated by the AJC. Borg said under Rabbi Bram's "outstanding leadership" attendance at the lecture series events - held in conjunction with Passover and Lent - grew from approximately 35 participants to more than 175. "The lecture series had a devoted following," she said.
During his 10 years of service at Temple Israel, Rabbi Bram was also active in the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, American Jewish Education and the St. Louis Rabbinical Association, which he led as president in 1992-1993. He also served as Jewish chaplain for the U.S. Penitentiary at Marion, Ill.
In 1995, Rabbi Bram accepted the position of senior rabbi of the Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation in Indianapolis, a congregation of 1,400 families. In announcing his acceptance of that position, Rabbi Bram expressed his gratitude to the members of Temple Israel. "I have learned much from my colleagues, but you have each been my teachers, my students and my friends, and I will deeply miss you." As evidenced by his many friends in St. Louis as well as in Indianapolis and Cleveland, Rabbi Bram maintained close ties with his friends in each of the communities in which he served.
A native of Chicago, Rabbi Bram earned a bachelor's degree in psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a master's in Hebrew Letters with a concentration in Jewish religious education from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, where he also received his rabbinic ordination.
Rabbi Bram, a member of the Union for Reform Judaism Outreach Commission, had many interfaith families in his congregation. He made it a priority to help non-Jewish families feel included in b'nai mitzvah ceremonies and other joyous occasions. He once invited all of the non-Jewish parents who were raising Jewish children to the bimah to receive a blessing during a Yom Kippur service.
While on the faculty at St. Louis University, Rabbi Bram taught courses in Jewish life and thought for the Philosophy Department and a course on "Working With Dying Patients and Their Families" at the SLU Medical School.
Rabbi Bram is survived by his wife of 30 years, Deborah (nee Yochim); daughter Jessica; son Daniel and brother, Brian Bram. Funeral services were held Thursday, Aug. 19 at Suburban Temple-Kol Ami in Cleveland.
Contributions are suggested to the Suburban Temple-Kol Ami, Rabbi Eric J. Bram Scholarship Fund, c/o Goldman Union Camp Institute, 9348 Moore Road, Zionsville, Ind. 46077.
_________________________
This Robert Cohn article is reprinted with permission.
Scroll down this page and click on the access link on the right to reveal more photos. Double-click on each photo image to reveal any captions, sources or credits.
_________________________
The rabbi featured on this Find A Grave page is one of many included in a "Virtual Cemetery" of rabbis who've passed but who served on St. Louis pulpits during their rabbinate. The complete "Virtual Cemetery" list can be found at SAINT LOUIS RABBIS. Questions about this "Virtual Cemetery" project may be directed to:
Steven Weinreich
Email: [email protected]
_________________________
OBITUARY
RABBI ERIC J. BRAM, OF SUBURBAN TEMPLE-KOL AMI IN BEACHWOOD, DIES AT 52
Published: Thursday, September 02, 2010, 10:00 AM
By Ed Wittenberg, Sun News
BEACHWOOD -- "Rabbi Eric J. Bram, of suburban Temple-Kol Ami, will be remembered for his compassion, his humor and his tolerance," said Barbara Feldman, president of the congregation.
"The community has lost a terrific man," Feldman said. "He worked to create a community of worshippers that didn't depend on him.
"That was his legacy, to make us a community. He has forever changed who we are."
Bram, spiritual leader of Suburban Temple-Kol Ami since 2002, died Aug. 17 at the Cleveland Clinic due to complications from a brain tumor. He was 52.
Last September, just before a High Holy Day service, Bram was rushed from the reform synagogue in Beachwood to a hospital with what proved to be a brain tumor.
He returned to the pulpit early this year, but stepped down Aug. 1, when he assumed the title of rabbi emeritus, to focus on treatment for his illness.
A funeral service was held Aug. 19 at Suburban Temple-Kol Ami. He was buried at Lake View Cemetery.
"Our warm memories of him will nudge us to reach higher for inspiration and dig deeper for inner strength," Feldman said at the service.
"He let us know that we each had gifts to offer by the way he respected, honored and laughed with us."
Feldman said Bram always wanted it "to be about the congregation, not about him."
"That will help us to continue on and to be very robust in our survival," she said.
Bram, a Chicago native, lived in Solon with his wife of 30 years, Deborah, who served as Suburban Temple's religious education director.
He helped the temple expand its religious education program through high school, form an adult group to study the Torah, renovate the sanctuary, start a volunteer choir and update the prayer book.
Before coming to Suburban Temple, Bram was senior rabbi of Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation from 1995-2002. Prior to that, he was associate rabbi at Congregation Temple Israel in St. Louis from 1987-1995.
He also served as chaplain of the United States Penitentiary in Marion, IL, and he was a rabbinical student mentor for many years at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati.
Bram was ordained at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, where he earned a master's degree in Hebrew letters. He earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
A member of the Union for Reform Judaism outreach commission, Bram was a trustee of the local American Jewish Committee and Jewish Community Federation and the Bellefaire Jewish Children's Bureau.
In addition to his wife, Bram is survived by a daughter, Jessica; a son, Daniel; and a brother, Brian.
Contributions are suggested to the Suburban Temple-Kol Ami Rabbi Eric J. Bram Scholarship Fund, 22401 Chagrin Blvd., Beachwood 44122, or to the Rabbi Eric Bram Youth Scholarship Fund, care of Goldman Union Camp Institute, 9349 Moore Road, Zionsville, Ind. 46077.
Contact Wittenberg at
[email protected]
_________________________
OBITUARY
BY ROBERT A. COHN, Editor-in-Chief Emeritus
St. Louis Jewish Light
September 1, 2010
RABBI ERIC BRAM REMEMBERED AS TEACHER, COLLEAGUE AND FRIEND
Rabbi Eric J. Bram, who served as associate rabbi at Temple Israel in St. Louis from 1986-1995, and who was spiritual leader of Suburban Temple-Kol Ami in Cleveland, died Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2010. He was 52. Rabbi Bram, who had served at Suburban Temple-Kol Ami from 2002-2010, had stepped down from its pulpit on Aug. 1 to focus on treatment for a brain tumor.
Both in Cleveland and in St. Louis, Rabbi Bram was warmly remembered for his rabbinical service and wisdom, his sense of humor and the love of his family and many friends. Barbara Feldman, president of Suburban Temple-Kol Ami was quoted in the Cleveland Jewish News as saying, "We can't easily put into words how deeply we feel about Rabbi Bram and his family. His legacy is one we will build on long into the future. He embodied tolerance, inclusions, learning, and especially a spirit of close community. He has forever changed who we are."
In St. Louis, Rabbi Mark Shook, Emeritus of Temple Israel, recalled that Rabbi Bram had been engaged by Rabbi Alvan D. Rubin in 1986, and had stayed on when Rabbi Shook became senior rabbi. "He was a warm, caring, funny and very loveable rabbi, teacher, colleague and friend who made Judaism very accessible to people who may have drifted away," Rabbi Shook said. "He taught the ‘Jewish Life and Thought' course at St. Louis University and was a gifted teacher who had an almost magical connection with his students. It is still unbelievable that he is gone. It was clear to me at the funeral that all the things we loved about Eric in St. Louis continued on with his congregation in Ohio. Words cannot describe how much he will be missed. Our hearts go out to Debbie, Jessica and Daniel Bram and the rest of their family."
Rabbi Jim Bennett of Congregation Shaare Emeth, considered Rabbi Bram to have been his best friend; the two shared a 30-year friendship. Rabbi Bennett, who said he was "devastated" by Rabbi Bram's passing, offered a eulogy to Rabbi Bram at the funeral service last week. "Eric was always my lifeline, my consultant when I didn't know what to do or say. He would have known exactly what to do and say today. He'd say, ‘Keep it short. Our people have short attention spans.' Sorry, buddy. I can't do that today," Rabbi Bennett said.
Rabbi Bennett added, "Eric loved humor, especially the odd, the ironic, the kitsch, the strange...He loved to keep people guessing, to catch us all off guard. Sadly, his joke cannot be truth today - we know that Eric is gone from this world. We mourn, we weep, we hold each other close, and we remember."
Another St. Louisan who remembers Rabbi Bram with fondness and respect is Rosalyn Borg, former regional director of the St. Louis Chapter of the American Jewish Committee. She said Rabbi Bram served on the board of directors of the St. Louis Chapter of the AJC, chairing the citywide Annual Interfaith Lecture Series, sponsored by nine different denominations and coordinated by the AJC. Borg said under Rabbi Bram's "outstanding leadership" attendance at the lecture series events - held in conjunction with Passover and Lent - grew from approximately 35 participants to more than 175. "The lecture series had a devoted following," she said.
During his 10 years of service at Temple Israel, Rabbi Bram was also active in the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, American Jewish Education and the St. Louis Rabbinical Association, which he led as president in 1992-1993. He also served as Jewish chaplain for the U.S. Penitentiary at Marion, Ill.
In 1995, Rabbi Bram accepted the position of senior rabbi of the Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation in Indianapolis, a congregation of 1,400 families. In announcing his acceptance of that position, Rabbi Bram expressed his gratitude to the members of Temple Israel. "I have learned much from my colleagues, but you have each been my teachers, my students and my friends, and I will deeply miss you." As evidenced by his many friends in St. Louis as well as in Indianapolis and Cleveland, Rabbi Bram maintained close ties with his friends in each of the communities in which he served.
A native of Chicago, Rabbi Bram earned a bachelor's degree in psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a master's in Hebrew Letters with a concentration in Jewish religious education from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, where he also received his rabbinic ordination.
Rabbi Bram, a member of the Union for Reform Judaism Outreach Commission, had many interfaith families in his congregation. He made it a priority to help non-Jewish families feel included in b'nai mitzvah ceremonies and other joyous occasions. He once invited all of the non-Jewish parents who were raising Jewish children to the bimah to receive a blessing during a Yom Kippur service.
While on the faculty at St. Louis University, Rabbi Bram taught courses in Jewish life and thought for the Philosophy Department and a course on "Working With Dying Patients and Their Families" at the SLU Medical School.
Rabbi Bram is survived by his wife of 30 years, Deborah (nee Yochim); daughter Jessica; son Daniel and brother, Brian Bram. Funeral services were held Thursday, Aug. 19 at Suburban Temple-Kol Ami in Cleveland.
Contributions are suggested to the Suburban Temple-Kol Ami, Rabbi Eric J. Bram Scholarship Fund, c/o Goldman Union Camp Institute, 9348 Moore Road, Zionsville, Ind. 46077.
_________________________
This Robert Cohn article is reprinted with permission.
Scroll down this page and click on the access link on the right to reveal more photos. Double-click on each photo image to reveal any captions, sources or credits.
_________________________
The rabbi featured on this Find A Grave page is one of many included in a "Virtual Cemetery" of rabbis who've passed but who served on St. Louis pulpits during their rabbinate. The complete "Virtual Cemetery" list can be found at SAINT LOUIS RABBIS. Questions about this "Virtual Cemetery" project may be directed to:
Steven Weinreich
Email: [email protected]
Rabbi Bram served Congregation Temple Israel, Creve Coeur, Missouri as assistant rabbi for 2 years (1985-1987) and would later serve as their associate rabbi for 7 years (1988-1995). He is listed along with other rabbis who served St. Louis congregations. The full list can be found at SAINT LOUIS RABBIS.
_________________________
OBITUARY
RABBI ERIC J. BRAM, OF SUBURBAN TEMPLE-KOL AMI IN BEACHWOOD, DIES AT 52
Published: Thursday, September 02, 2010, 10:00 AM
By Ed Wittenberg, Sun News
BEACHWOOD -- "Rabbi Eric J. Bram, of suburban Temple-Kol Ami, will be remembered for his compassion, his humor and his tolerance," said Barbara Feldman, president of the congregation.
"The community has lost a terrific man," Feldman said. "He worked to create a community of worshippers that didn't depend on him.
"That was his legacy, to make us a community. He has forever changed who we are."
Bram, spiritual leader of Suburban Temple-Kol Ami since 2002, died Aug. 17 at the Cleveland Clinic due to complications from a brain tumor. He was 52.
Last September, just before a High Holy Day service, Bram was rushed from the reform synagogue in Beachwood to a hospital with what proved to be a brain tumor.
He returned to the pulpit early this year, but stepped down Aug. 1, when he assumed the title of rabbi emeritus, to focus on treatment for his illness.
A funeral service was held Aug. 19 at Suburban Temple-Kol Ami. He was buried at Lake View Cemetery.
"Our warm memories of him will nudge us to reach higher for inspiration and dig deeper for inner strength," Feldman said at the service.
"He let us know that we each had gifts to offer by the way he respected, honored and laughed with us."
Feldman said Bram always wanted it "to be about the congregation, not about him."
"That will help us to continue on and to be very robust in our survival," she said.
Bram, a Chicago native, lived in Solon with his wife of 30 years, Deborah, who served as Suburban Temple's religious education director.
He helped the temple expand its religious education program through high school, form an adult group to study the Torah, renovate the sanctuary, start a volunteer choir and update the prayer book.
Before coming to Suburban Temple, Bram was senior rabbi of Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation from 1995-2002. Prior to that, he was associate rabbi at Congregation Temple Israel in St. Louis from 1987-1995.
He also served as chaplain of the United States Penitentiary in Marion, IL, and he was a rabbinical student mentor for many years at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati.
Bram was ordained at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, where he earned a master's degree in Hebrew letters. He earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
A member of the Union for Reform Judaism outreach commission, Bram was a trustee of the local American Jewish Committee and Jewish Community Federation and the Bellefaire Jewish Children's Bureau.
In addition to his wife, Bram is survived by a daughter, Jessica; a son, Daniel; and a brother, Brian.
Contributions are suggested to the Suburban Temple-Kol Ami Rabbi Eric J. Bram Scholarship Fund, 22401 Chagrin Blvd., Beachwood 44122, or to the Rabbi Eric Bram Youth Scholarship Fund, care of Goldman Union Camp Institute, 9349 Moore Road, Zionsville, Ind. 46077.
Contact Wittenberg at
[email protected]
_________________________
OBITUARY
BY ROBERT A. COHN, Editor-in-Chief Emeritus
St. Louis Jewish Light
September 1, 2010
RABBI ERIC BRAM REMEMBERED AS TEACHER, COLLEAGUE AND FRIEND
Rabbi Eric J. Bram, who served as associate rabbi at Temple Israel in St. Louis from 1986-1995, and who was spiritual leader of Suburban Temple-Kol Ami in Cleveland, died Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2010. He was 52. Rabbi Bram, who had served at Suburban Temple-Kol Ami from 2002-2010, had stepped down from its pulpit on Aug. 1 to focus on treatment for a brain tumor.
Both in Cleveland and in St. Louis, Rabbi Bram was warmly remembered for his rabbinical service and wisdom, his sense of humor and the love of his family and many friends. Barbara Feldman, president of Suburban Temple-Kol Ami was quoted in the Cleveland Jewish News as saying, "We can't easily put into words how deeply we feel about Rabbi Bram and his family. His legacy is one we will build on long into the future. He embodied tolerance, inclusions, learning, and especially a spirit of close community. He has forever changed who we are."
In St. Louis, Rabbi Mark Shook, Emeritus of Temple Israel, recalled that Rabbi Bram had been engaged by Rabbi Alvan D. Rubin in 1986, and had stayed on when Rabbi Shook became senior rabbi. "He was a warm, caring, funny and very loveable rabbi, teacher, colleague and friend who made Judaism very accessible to people who may have drifted away," Rabbi Shook said. "He taught the ‘Jewish Life and Thought' course at St. Louis University and was a gifted teacher who had an almost magical connection with his students. It is still unbelievable that he is gone. It was clear to me at the funeral that all the things we loved about Eric in St. Louis continued on with his congregation in Ohio. Words cannot describe how much he will be missed. Our hearts go out to Debbie, Jessica and Daniel Bram and the rest of their family."
Rabbi Jim Bennett of Congregation Shaare Emeth, considered Rabbi Bram to have been his best friend; the two shared a 30-year friendship. Rabbi Bennett, who said he was "devastated" by Rabbi Bram's passing, offered a eulogy to Rabbi Bram at the funeral service last week. "Eric was always my lifeline, my consultant when I didn't know what to do or say. He would have known exactly what to do and say today. He'd say, ‘Keep it short. Our people have short attention spans.' Sorry, buddy. I can't do that today," Rabbi Bennett said.
Rabbi Bennett added, "Eric loved humor, especially the odd, the ironic, the kitsch, the strange...He loved to keep people guessing, to catch us all off guard. Sadly, his joke cannot be truth today - we know that Eric is gone from this world. We mourn, we weep, we hold each other close, and we remember."
Another St. Louisan who remembers Rabbi Bram with fondness and respect is Rosalyn Borg, former regional director of the St. Louis Chapter of the American Jewish Committee. She said Rabbi Bram served on the board of directors of the St. Louis Chapter of the AJC, chairing the citywide Annual Interfaith Lecture Series, sponsored by nine different denominations and coordinated by the AJC. Borg said under Rabbi Bram's "outstanding leadership" attendance at the lecture series events - held in conjunction with Passover and Lent - grew from approximately 35 participants to more than 175. "The lecture series had a devoted following," she said.
During his 10 years of service at Temple Israel, Rabbi Bram was also active in the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, American Jewish Education and the St. Louis Rabbinical Association, which he led as president in 1992-1993. He also served as Jewish chaplain for the U.S. Penitentiary at Marion, Ill.
In 1995, Rabbi Bram accepted the position of senior rabbi of the Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation in Indianapolis, a congregation of 1,400 families. In announcing his acceptance of that position, Rabbi Bram expressed his gratitude to the members of Temple Israel. "I have learned much from my colleagues, but you have each been my teachers, my students and my friends, and I will deeply miss you." As evidenced by his many friends in St. Louis as well as in Indianapolis and Cleveland, Rabbi Bram maintained close ties with his friends in each of the communities in which he served.
A native of Chicago, Rabbi Bram earned a bachelor's degree in psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a master's in Hebrew Letters with a concentration in Jewish religious education from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, where he also received his rabbinic ordination.
Rabbi Bram, a member of the Union for Reform Judaism Outreach Commission, had many interfaith families in his congregation. He made it a priority to help non-Jewish families feel included in b'nai mitzvah ceremonies and other joyous occasions. He once invited all of the non-Jewish parents who were raising Jewish children to the bimah to receive a blessing during a Yom Kippur service.
While on the faculty at St. Louis University, Rabbi Bram taught courses in Jewish life and thought for the Philosophy Department and a course on "Working With Dying Patients and Their Families" at the SLU Medical School.
Rabbi Bram is survived by his wife of 30 years, Deborah (nee Yochim); daughter Jessica; son Daniel and brother, Brian Bram. Funeral services were held Thursday, Aug. 19 at Suburban Temple-Kol Ami in Cleveland.
Contributions are suggested to the Suburban Temple-Kol Ami, Rabbi Eric J. Bram Scholarship Fund, c/o Goldman Union Camp Institute, 9348 Moore Road, Zionsville, Ind. 46077.
_________________________
This Robert Cohn article is reprinted with permission.
Scroll down this page and click on the access link on the right to reveal more photos. Double-click on each photo image to reveal any captions, sources or credits.
_________________________
The rabbi featured on this Find A Grave page is one of many included in a "Virtual Cemetery" of rabbis who've passed but who served on St. Louis pulpits during their rabbinate. The complete "Virtual Cemetery" list can be found at SAINT LOUIS RABBIS. Questions about this "Virtual Cemetery" project may be directed to:
Steven Weinreich
Email: [email protected]
_________________________
OBITUARY
RABBI ERIC J. BRAM, OF SUBURBAN TEMPLE-KOL AMI IN BEACHWOOD, DIES AT 52
Published: Thursday, September 02, 2010, 10:00 AM
By Ed Wittenberg, Sun News
BEACHWOOD -- "Rabbi Eric J. Bram, of suburban Temple-Kol Ami, will be remembered for his compassion, his humor and his tolerance," said Barbara Feldman, president of the congregation.
"The community has lost a terrific man," Feldman said. "He worked to create a community of worshippers that didn't depend on him.
"That was his legacy, to make us a community. He has forever changed who we are."
Bram, spiritual leader of Suburban Temple-Kol Ami since 2002, died Aug. 17 at the Cleveland Clinic due to complications from a brain tumor. He was 52.
Last September, just before a High Holy Day service, Bram was rushed from the reform synagogue in Beachwood to a hospital with what proved to be a brain tumor.
He returned to the pulpit early this year, but stepped down Aug. 1, when he assumed the title of rabbi emeritus, to focus on treatment for his illness.
A funeral service was held Aug. 19 at Suburban Temple-Kol Ami. He was buried at Lake View Cemetery.
"Our warm memories of him will nudge us to reach higher for inspiration and dig deeper for inner strength," Feldman said at the service.
"He let us know that we each had gifts to offer by the way he respected, honored and laughed with us."
Feldman said Bram always wanted it "to be about the congregation, not about him."
"That will help us to continue on and to be very robust in our survival," she said.
Bram, a Chicago native, lived in Solon with his wife of 30 years, Deborah, who served as Suburban Temple's religious education director.
He helped the temple expand its religious education program through high school, form an adult group to study the Torah, renovate the sanctuary, start a volunteer choir and update the prayer book.
Before coming to Suburban Temple, Bram was senior rabbi of Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation from 1995-2002. Prior to that, he was associate rabbi at Congregation Temple Israel in St. Louis from 1987-1995.
He also served as chaplain of the United States Penitentiary in Marion, IL, and he was a rabbinical student mentor for many years at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati.
Bram was ordained at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, where he earned a master's degree in Hebrew letters. He earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
A member of the Union for Reform Judaism outreach commission, Bram was a trustee of the local American Jewish Committee and Jewish Community Federation and the Bellefaire Jewish Children's Bureau.
In addition to his wife, Bram is survived by a daughter, Jessica; a son, Daniel; and a brother, Brian.
Contributions are suggested to the Suburban Temple-Kol Ami Rabbi Eric J. Bram Scholarship Fund, 22401 Chagrin Blvd., Beachwood 44122, or to the Rabbi Eric Bram Youth Scholarship Fund, care of Goldman Union Camp Institute, 9349 Moore Road, Zionsville, Ind. 46077.
Contact Wittenberg at
[email protected]
_________________________
OBITUARY
BY ROBERT A. COHN, Editor-in-Chief Emeritus
St. Louis Jewish Light
September 1, 2010
RABBI ERIC BRAM REMEMBERED AS TEACHER, COLLEAGUE AND FRIEND
Rabbi Eric J. Bram, who served as associate rabbi at Temple Israel in St. Louis from 1986-1995, and who was spiritual leader of Suburban Temple-Kol Ami in Cleveland, died Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2010. He was 52. Rabbi Bram, who had served at Suburban Temple-Kol Ami from 2002-2010, had stepped down from its pulpit on Aug. 1 to focus on treatment for a brain tumor.
Both in Cleveland and in St. Louis, Rabbi Bram was warmly remembered for his rabbinical service and wisdom, his sense of humor and the love of his family and many friends. Barbara Feldman, president of Suburban Temple-Kol Ami was quoted in the Cleveland Jewish News as saying, "We can't easily put into words how deeply we feel about Rabbi Bram and his family. His legacy is one we will build on long into the future. He embodied tolerance, inclusions, learning, and especially a spirit of close community. He has forever changed who we are."
In St. Louis, Rabbi Mark Shook, Emeritus of Temple Israel, recalled that Rabbi Bram had been engaged by Rabbi Alvan D. Rubin in 1986, and had stayed on when Rabbi Shook became senior rabbi. "He was a warm, caring, funny and very loveable rabbi, teacher, colleague and friend who made Judaism very accessible to people who may have drifted away," Rabbi Shook said. "He taught the ‘Jewish Life and Thought' course at St. Louis University and was a gifted teacher who had an almost magical connection with his students. It is still unbelievable that he is gone. It was clear to me at the funeral that all the things we loved about Eric in St. Louis continued on with his congregation in Ohio. Words cannot describe how much he will be missed. Our hearts go out to Debbie, Jessica and Daniel Bram and the rest of their family."
Rabbi Jim Bennett of Congregation Shaare Emeth, considered Rabbi Bram to have been his best friend; the two shared a 30-year friendship. Rabbi Bennett, who said he was "devastated" by Rabbi Bram's passing, offered a eulogy to Rabbi Bram at the funeral service last week. "Eric was always my lifeline, my consultant when I didn't know what to do or say. He would have known exactly what to do and say today. He'd say, ‘Keep it short. Our people have short attention spans.' Sorry, buddy. I can't do that today," Rabbi Bennett said.
Rabbi Bennett added, "Eric loved humor, especially the odd, the ironic, the kitsch, the strange...He loved to keep people guessing, to catch us all off guard. Sadly, his joke cannot be truth today - we know that Eric is gone from this world. We mourn, we weep, we hold each other close, and we remember."
Another St. Louisan who remembers Rabbi Bram with fondness and respect is Rosalyn Borg, former regional director of the St. Louis Chapter of the American Jewish Committee. She said Rabbi Bram served on the board of directors of the St. Louis Chapter of the AJC, chairing the citywide Annual Interfaith Lecture Series, sponsored by nine different denominations and coordinated by the AJC. Borg said under Rabbi Bram's "outstanding leadership" attendance at the lecture series events - held in conjunction with Passover and Lent - grew from approximately 35 participants to more than 175. "The lecture series had a devoted following," she said.
During his 10 years of service at Temple Israel, Rabbi Bram was also active in the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, American Jewish Education and the St. Louis Rabbinical Association, which he led as president in 1992-1993. He also served as Jewish chaplain for the U.S. Penitentiary at Marion, Ill.
In 1995, Rabbi Bram accepted the position of senior rabbi of the Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation in Indianapolis, a congregation of 1,400 families. In announcing his acceptance of that position, Rabbi Bram expressed his gratitude to the members of Temple Israel. "I have learned much from my colleagues, but you have each been my teachers, my students and my friends, and I will deeply miss you." As evidenced by his many friends in St. Louis as well as in Indianapolis and Cleveland, Rabbi Bram maintained close ties with his friends in each of the communities in which he served.
A native of Chicago, Rabbi Bram earned a bachelor's degree in psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a master's in Hebrew Letters with a concentration in Jewish religious education from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, where he also received his rabbinic ordination.
Rabbi Bram, a member of the Union for Reform Judaism Outreach Commission, had many interfaith families in his congregation. He made it a priority to help non-Jewish families feel included in b'nai mitzvah ceremonies and other joyous occasions. He once invited all of the non-Jewish parents who were raising Jewish children to the bimah to receive a blessing during a Yom Kippur service.
While on the faculty at St. Louis University, Rabbi Bram taught courses in Jewish life and thought for the Philosophy Department and a course on "Working With Dying Patients and Their Families" at the SLU Medical School.
Rabbi Bram is survived by his wife of 30 years, Deborah (nee Yochim); daughter Jessica; son Daniel and brother, Brian Bram. Funeral services were held Thursday, Aug. 19 at Suburban Temple-Kol Ami in Cleveland.
Contributions are suggested to the Suburban Temple-Kol Ami, Rabbi Eric J. Bram Scholarship Fund, c/o Goldman Union Camp Institute, 9348 Moore Road, Zionsville, Ind. 46077.
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This Robert Cohn article is reprinted with permission.
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The rabbi featured on this Find A Grave page is one of many included in a "Virtual Cemetery" of rabbis who've passed but who served on St. Louis pulpits during their rabbinate. The complete "Virtual Cemetery" list can be found at SAINT LOUIS RABBIS. Questions about this "Virtual Cemetery" project may be directed to:
Steven Weinreich
Email: [email protected]
Bio by: Brent Stevens
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