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IRVING RABB'S LESSONS IN COMMUNITY SERVICE What makes Irving Rabb tick? "A sense of responsibility, fairness and loyalty to friends, family and community," says Avram Goldberg, his nephew-in-law. "When Irv makes a commitment, it's for life—if not longer."
Rabb's 20th-floor home in Cambridge, Mass., is a tribute to that which he and his late wife, Charlotte (Dolly), held dear. The eye doesn't know what to focus on first: the countless photos of four generations of family; the original 20th-century paintings, sculptures and drawings, including a Picasso; the authentic 18th-century furniture; or the sweep of windows affording a stunning, 360-degree view of the Charles River as it snakes through Boston, Cambridge and beyond—where Rabb gave back to the full. Indeed, many of the buildings dotting this landscape bear the mark of the Rabbs' generosity and vision, and tell the tale of their diverse passions and missions. A mere sampling: Hebrew College, the Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston (where Irving was board president), the Museum of Fine Arts (to which the couple donated a portion of their private collection), the New England Conservatory of Music, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Harvard University and Harvard Hillel, Brandeis University, Boston Latin School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (where Irving was board president), the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for Aged, the Boston Foundation, the Cambridge Foundation and the Boston Public Library. President's Circle members, Irving and Dolly, z'l, have supported Hebrew College for more than 15 years. Along with the extended Rabb family, they contributed to the Capital Campaign, which helped the College move from its home on Hawes Street to its landmark location on Herrick Road. This June, in recognition of his longstanding service to the greater community and the college—as a trustee and overseer for more than a decade—the College awarded Rabb the prestigious Philip W. Lown Distinguished Service Medal. In 1988 he also received an honorary Doctor of Hebrew Letters. THE MAKING OF A PHILANTHROPIST "When I came to this country, I had two pennies to rub together," Joseph Rabinovitz used to tell his children, Sidney, Norman, Jeannette and Irving, the youngest. From that pair of pennies grew a name brand. Rabinovitz bought Economy Grocery Stores from his brother around 1920, and the family business mushroomed into a giant supermarket chain that became the Stop & Shop Companies in 1946. ("Rabinovitz" became "Rabb" during the same year.) The successful Rabinovitz was able to give his children the finest education. "In my family, there was one course: Boston Latin and then Harvard," recalls Rabb. "My brothers and sister said, 'Don't think you're preparing for your career with what you study in college. Study what you like.'" Rabb, who also played violin as a child, opted for fine arts, "a fortuitous choice" that helped train his discerning collector's eye. To round out his college experience, he participated for four years on Harvard's football and lacrosse teams. After graduating from Harvard College cum laude and attending Harvard Business School, Rabb joined the family business. The year was 1935, the country was emerging from the Great Depression and Economy Grocery Stores was about to open Boston's first supermarket. Rabb proceeded to rise through the corporate ranks, from a department head to executive vice president to president to vice chairman, until his retirement from Stop & Shop in 1983. Education and business were clearly family affairs—and so was responsibility. When Rabb's mother, Lottie, took ill for several years, he lived with a childless aunt and uncle. "My aunt adored me; I was her baby," he says. "She brought me up on the basis of principle and made me toe the mark." Rabb's other influence was his father, whom he calls "an ethical man. My father said, 'This community has been very good to us, and don't you ever forget it.'" The Rabb children took their father's words to heart, and turned them into a family ethos of philanthropy. "I don't think there were things in the community that one family member or another wasn't involved in," says Rabb of his siblings. He reflects, "So much of life is happenstance: where you're born, your family, your opportunities. I had a very, very fortunate life, with many advantages. For all this, I will be eternally grateful. Whatever I may have done to enhance the community was an expression of my appreciation for my good fortune. My only regret is that if I had ten times as much, I could have given ten times as much." JEWISH PIONEERS
"When I became aware of Hebrew College, it was a small college that trained Hebrew school teachers," continues Rabb. "Then [President] David Gordis came into the picture. The past ten years have been spectacular. Hebrew College has become a fountainhead—not only here, but nationally—for stimulating the study of Judaism and the appreciation of Jewishness. I call this a Jewish renaissance, and David Gordis is a force behind it. That's why I feel Hebrew College deserves very strong support." THE PHILANTHROPY GENE Dolly's passing in August 2003 left an unfillable void in Rabb's life. "Our friends didn't think of me and Dolly as individuals; they thought of us as a pair," says Rabb. "We did everything together." But Rabb continues to keep busy—"too busy," he allows. Seventy years after graduating from Harvard, he takes classes at the University's Institute for Learning in Retirement, works with a personal trainer, attends various board meetings and has lunch with rabbis, college presidents and a host of others he has befriended through the years. In April he flew to San Francisco for the birth of his fourth great-grandson. "Irving is a great role model for younger people," states Avram Goldberg, who married Rabb's niece Carol, a Hebrew College trustee, and held top posts at Stop & Shop (as did Carol). "The way he and Dolly lived their lives has been a model for Carol and me." Adds Dr. Mitchell T. Rabkin, former CEO of Beth Israel Hospital, "Irving is a man for all people. He's a natural person, with no put-ons or posturing. If you were to ask people in health care, education, the arts and many other areas, each would say his greatest benefit has been to them." Susan Plawsky is a Boston-based freelance writer. |
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With these words, Goldberg reveals the essence of a 91-year-old man whose abiding leadership and largesse have left in their wake a trail of admiration. This is a man who has lived life to the full—full of purpose and human connection.
"I lived my life not ghettoized," states Rabb. "My family was always known as Jewish, and I never allowed myself to be pushed around as a Jew. Though I don't practice all the rituals, I have a strong feeling in regard to the perpetuation of Judaism. I see two opposing trends today: intermarriage, and a revival of interest on the part of Jews to learn more about their background.