Robert Fishman

When Robert Benjamin Fishman passed away on Saturday, Jan. 11 at the age of 68, he left the Greater Hartford Jewish community, of which he was a beloved leader, in deep sadness. In open letters to the community, several organizations remembered the man they called “Bobby” with great affection, admiration and appreciation. Like Hartford’s Jewish community, the publisher and staff of the Connecticut Jewish Ledger mourn the passing of Bob Fishman – a good and steadfast friend… and a true mensch.

Our community received a shock last week when Robert B. Fishman passed away unexpectedly. At his funeral, Rabbi David Small said, “Grief is the price we pay for great love.” It was an apt way to express what all of us were feeling, the unimaginable loss of a friend.

Bob Fishman was a mensch, a good and decent man, in the true sense of the word. A consummate community supporter and lover of yiddishkeit and Judaism, he was active in so many organizations – his synagogue, the Federation, the JCC and the Hebrew Academy. He was a donor to many more, probably every Jewish organization in town. Bob understood and appreciated the value of our Jewish community and, through his actions, he lived the values that he espoused.

Bob loved Israel and was a fluent Hebrew speaker; Israel is where he met his beloved wife, Hedyth. I had the privilege to travel with him to Israel on a mission that included his wife, both of his brothers and their wives. The love and bond between the three Fishman brothers and their wives was a beautiful and rare gift in our modern world. During the entire time, Bob displayed a caring curiosity about the people we met and the places we visited.  As I recall, he had an ear-to-ear grin on his face the entire time.

We grieve our community’s loss and we feel Bob’s absence keenly. Yet, what remains is his example, the legacy of a caring, committed Jew. I pray that his legacy live on through all of us as we strengthen the fabric of the Jewish community that he loved so dearly.

May his memory be for a blessing.

Cathrine Fischer Schwartz

President and CEO, Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford

Robert Fishman, of blessed memory (OBM), was a beacon of love and light in our community. As our tradition teaches us, we must mourn and grieve for his passing. It is a tremendous loss not just for the family, but for the community, for the Chabad House and for me, personally.

In addition to the mourning, and perhaps more importantly, we must remember the legacy he left for us, the exemplary life he lived. We can cope better with his passing if we learn from him and continue in his footsteps. By doing so, we not only keep his memory alive, but also keep his spirit with us for eternity.

I met Bob and Hedyth a short time after I moved to Hartford, together with my wife, in 1977, and from that point on our friendship began, grew and developed. He became a dear friend, who cared and did whatever was in his ability to ensure that my undertakings in the community would succeed. He became a staunch supporter of all Chabad efforts, with joy and grace.

Bob was loved by everyone – because he loved everyone. In all the years I spent with him, I never heard a negative word about anyone or anything. He cared for the wider community, gave of his resources, time and talent, to help in any way possible, to every institution. He was very concerned for the community’s wellbeing and cared about the perpetuation of all its wonderful organizations and institutions.

Rabbi Joseph Gopin

Chabad House of Greater Hartford

The Bess and Paul Sigel Hebrew Academy has suffered a significant loss in the passing of its alumnus, friend and supporter, Robert “Bobby” Fishman. The Academy and the Fishman family have a long and wonderful history together, beginning with Maybelle and Herman Fishman, z”l, who taught their children the importance of sharing community responsibility. Their sons, Art, Ed and Bobby, mark the second generation of dedication to our school.

His attachment to our school is decades long, and he regularly expressed the important position that the school occupies in the community. He would frequently remind us, “If there is no Hebrew Academy there is no Jewish Hartford; it is essential to our existence as a community.”

Bobby led by example. He attended the school as a student, contributed as a supporter and represented the school’s interests to the wider community. His ear-to-ear smile was contagious, and his presence in the school made him as well known to current students as any member of the faculty. As one current student noted, “He is the man with the hair combed back and the big smile.”

Bobby served on the Board of Directors for decades and was twice chairman of the Board, during Ira Feigenbaum’s tenure as president. As news spread of his passing, a current board member sadly reflected that meetings of the Board will now have a decidedly different flavor without the enthusiasm and passion of Bob Fishman.

When recently he was asked to serve as a member of the panel of judges for the students’ Chanukiyah competition, he expressed surprise at the honor being accorded to him. Yet, the honor was all ours. Who better to judge student work than someone who was a student himself and one who so passionately identified with the school?

Above all Bobby was a mensch and a dear friend whom we will all miss.

May his family be comforted among the mourners for Zion and Jerusalem.

Rabbi Eliot Feldman, Head of School

Elana Doron, President

Ira Feigenbaum, Chairman of the Board

The Bess and Paul Sigel Hebrew Academy