When A Good Man Dies, Words & Tears

 

 

Rabbi Akvin Kass died yesterday. To many of you, the name is unfamiliar, the loss seemingly inconsequential. But he was a man who positively touched so many souls.

He was the senior NYPD chaplain for six decades. At age 30, he was the youngest ever appointed to the position. He was promoted to three-star chief, an unprecedented rank for clergy.

I will conservatively guess that several million people have either attended his services, heard him officiate at weddings, hear sermons at bar mitzvahs, listen to his funeral orations, or were counseled by him. They did not just hear empty words or dispassionate sermons when he officiated. No, he was moving, insightful, compassionate, and always worth listening to. He sounded like he knew everyone because he in fact, did.

He was there during the most significant moments of so many lives, from 9/11 and Super Storm Sandy, to my dad’s funeral and my first wedding.

He was also the chief rabbi of the once-vaunted East Midwood Jewish Center, in Brooklyn, for 36 years. I went to junior high school with his son and the rabbi presided over many family and friend events that defined our lives.

One of his patented lines for a wedding service was to tell the bride and groom that marriage is not a 50-50 relationship, where tasks are split equally. He would note that depending on the issue at hand, it could be 60-40 or even 90-10. Everyone has their strengths -- and shortfalls.

He spoke in a gentle way, letting the weight of his words amplify a room. He was not a yeller or a vocally imposing individually. But he spoke from a place of seemingly knowing, of endurance, and of hope. His comforting demeanor during the hardest events and his smile amidst celebratory moments is what made him so special.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams noted Rabbi Kass: “Consoled us through the monumental tragedies and personal hardships.” NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said “His loss is immeasurable.”

Whomever officiates over his funeral service has the unenviable task of conveying who he was when we already know, by word and deed, that he was a good man. Rabbi Kass should be in the Mensch Hall of Fame.

May God Bless Rabbi Alvin Kass.

 

About Brian Feinblum

This award-winning blog has generated over 5,000,000 page views. With 5,400+ posts over the past 14 years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs  by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.”  Copyright 2025.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully). He was recently interviewed by the IBPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0BhO9m8jbs

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum