Anshe Emet Synagogue of Chicago

At Anshe Emet, we make a difference.  Please help us show respect for Ben Rosenstein as we purchase the headstone he was
denied.

Last weekend, we had the privilege of welcoming Noam Sienna to our synagogue for Shabbat.  Here is an excerpt from his D'var
Torah:  "This story takes place just over one hundred years ago, right here in Chicago.  Ben Rosenstein was a working-class Jewish
immigrant from Poland; he met his wife Pauline when they both arrived in New York around 1907. Pauline worked in the garment
industryand Ben in furniture factories, migrating to Chicago around 1910.  Then, Ben fell ill-fevers, exhaustion, weight loss -
tuberculosis was the diagnosis.  HIAS, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, sent a doctor who examined Ben at his home on Ogden
Avenue and discovered his 'secret':  Ben Rosenstein was born and raised as a girl.  The doctor offered to send Ben to a sanitarium
where he might recover but it was a women's sanitarium and Ben would have to live as a woman.  Ben told the doctor, 'I would
rather die.'  Ben died, at 26 years old, on February 7, 1915.  His death certificate was signed by his brother-in-law and Ben is listed
under his birth name, described as single, and is buried in a pauper's grave in Waldheim Jewish Cemetery; he has no tombstone." 
Ben's wish was to be buried in a suit.  He was also denied this last request.  We need to ask ourselves:  what
actions might we be moved towards by the memory of Ben Rosenstein?"

We hope you are moved by our effort to honor Ben's memory.  Please make a meaningful gift to our endeavor.

As always, we are grateful for your dedication.

Additional funds that are raised over and above this endeavor will support Anshe Emet's LGBTQ initiatives.