Rabbi Michael Bloom died Nov. 14, 2019. He was 60. Founder of the Washington Nationals’ Ballpark minyan, he was a docent and historian at the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue in Washington and chairperson of the General Orde Wingate Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery. Having served as director of budget planning at the Treasury Department, Bloom was also a Torah reader at the Pentagon Chapel and national deputy chaplain of the Jewish War Veterans of the USA and chaplain at the National Museum of American Jewish Military History.
He was ordained in his mid-50s by Rabbi Aharon Ziegler, a talmid of Rav Soloveitchik and rosh kollel of Kollel Agudath Achim. Rabbi Mike had earlier begun serving as chaplain at senior citizen facilities in greater Washington. He taught and led services at multiple facilities, in addition to his presentations on Jewish foods, history, ethics, comedy, writing and Judaism at academic and cultural programs in the Washington area.
Son of the late Albert W. and Evelyn G. Bloom of Pittsburgh, Rabbi Michael Bloom will be remembered by friends, siblings, Shanen Bloom Werber, Dov Bloom and Elana Bloom; and nieces and nephews on Nov. 8, at 2 p.m. on Zoom and in person at Garden of Remembrance Cemetery, in Clarksburg. For more information: [email protected]
Donations may be made to Yad Yehuda of Greater Washington or to Hillel Academy.
