SR0656 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0656 LRB101 13880 ALS 62743 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Rabbi Dr. Peter Knobel, who passed away on August 20, 2019; and

WHEREAS, For much of his career, Rabbi Knobel was the Senior Rabbi of Beth Emet The Free Synagogue in Evanston, where he encouraged interaction between clergy and congregants with the goal of infusing Jewish meaning into the lives of individuals and the community; more recently, he had served as the Interim Senior Rabbi of Chicago's Temple Sholom, Temple Judea in Coral Gables, and Temple Israel of Hollywood; and

WHEREAS, In addition to his congregational responsibilities, Rabbi Knobel served in a variety of important leadership roles nationally and in the Chicago-area community; he was president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), Chair of the Liturgy and Reform Practice Committee, and a member of committees on human sexuality, homosexuality and the rabbinate, and patrilineal descent; he served on the boards of both the Union for Reform Judaism and the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion; he was a member of the National Interreligious Leadership Initiative on Peace in the Middle East; he was the editor of Gates of the Seasons: A Guide for the Jewish New Year; locally, he served as president of The Chicago Board of Rabbis and the Chicago Association of Reform Rabbis; he was active in the Evanston Downtown Clergy Association; and

WHEREAS, Rabbi Knobel will be remembered as an outstanding scholar and teacher; he offered a wide range of courses at The Spertus Institute over the past two decades and was a guiding light for students enrolled in masters and doctoral programs in Jewish Studies; he had a strong commitment to his students, interfaith dialogue, and professional training; and

WHEREAS, Rabbi Knobel is survived by his wife, Elaine; his children; and his grandchildren; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Rabbi Dr. Peter Knobel and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, colleagues, congregants, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Rabbi Knobel as an expression of our deepest sympathy.