Rosette Barron Haim

Rabbi Rosette Barron Haim "Rabbi Rosie". Dearly beloved wife of Marshall Barron. Adored mother of Shira (Adam Seltzer) Barron. Cherished grandmother of Ava and Ethan. Dear sister of Joe (Debbie) Haim and Ronald (Susan) Haim. Loving daughter of the late Fani and Dr. David Haim and daughter in law of Norma and the late Irving Barron.

Services will be held Friday May 8 at 2:30 PM at the Park Synagogue 27500 Shaker Blvd., Pepper Pike, Ohio. Interment Mt. Olive Cemetery.

Family will receive friends at the Park Synagogue SUNDAY 12 NOON-4PM, MONDAY 12 NOON-3PM, MONDAY EVENING 6PM-9PM,and TUESDAY 6PM-9PM.

Friends who are unable to attend the service may view it on Friday, May 8 at 2:30 PM by going to :

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86266326414?pwd=zv8MaXiVaRsC5dd3GHYULNtQ2esNSy.1

Password: PARK

In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift in memory of Rabbi Rosette Barron Haim to University Hospitals Miracle for Metastatic Breast Cancer Research:

Give by phone 216-983-2200

Give by mail: Send checks made payable to University Hospitals Miracle Fund for Metastatic Breast Cancer, University Hospitals IR&D P.O.BOX 94554 Cleveland,Ohio 44101-4554 or to the

Rabbi Rosie Israel Scholarship Fund c/o the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland 25701 Science Park Dr. Beachwood, Ohio 44122

Longtime Cleveland area rabbi, Rabbi Rosette Barron Haim, who was affectionately known as “Rabbi Rosie,” died on May 6 in Cleveland. She was 64.

Haim, a Beachwood resident who was born on Oct. 19, 1961, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2024.

On May 1, Haim updated her Celebrating Jewish Life family in an email.

“I am writing to share something deeply personal with all of you. Since early 2024 I have been fighting breast cancer and more recently, it has progressed to the point that I must accept the gravity of the situation and know my time is limited. I know this comes as shock to most of you, I want you to hear it from me with love and honesty. The cancer has advanced very quickly…so quickly that I find myself writing this message to you from hospice.

“In this sacred role as your rabbi, I have been blessed beyond words. To walk beside you in moments of joy and sorrow, to celebrate simchas, offer comfort in times of loss, and to study and grow together in Judaism has been my greatest honor. Each of you has touched my life in ways I cannot fully express. I carry your kindness, your laughter, your prayers and your friendship, and your unwavering support of me and Celebrating Jewish Life throughout the years. My deepest thanks to each of you. You have not only been a congregation to me – you have been my teachers, my companions, my friends and my extended family. Our tradition teaches us the importance of gratitude, and I feel it deeply now.

“In light of this most unfortunate situation, we are canceling the May 15, Shavuot Shabbat holiday experience. It’s been one of the greatest joys of my rabbinate to create and share Celebrating Jewish Life with you.

“Always know my love for this community, the larger Jewish community and Israel is enduring. I carry each of you with me, and I take comfort in knowing that the bonds we have formed are part of something eternal for you too.

“May you continue to be a source of light to one another and may you go from strength to strength, from blessing to blessing.”

Haim was ordained at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati in 1988. She was a fixture at the former The Temple-Tifereth Israel in Beachwood from 1988 to 2018. She became associate rabbi in 1991.

Haim was one of the longest-serving congregational rabbis in Greater Cleveland.

Haim saw her role as a connector throughout the temple, a role in which she felt she thrived. While the job called for her to be heavily involved in life cycle events, a task to which she said she was always drawn, she was known to continue the connection through multiple generations of a family.

Haim also served as auxiliary rabbi of Park Synagogue over the past several years as a resource for congregants along with providing assistance for its affiliate groups.

Park Synagogue Senior Rabbi Joshua Skoff sent an email to congregants on May 4.

“It is with great difficulty, and with a profound and personal sense of sadness, that I share with you the decline in health of Rabbi Rosie Barron Haim. Rabbi Haim is a rabbi of our Cleveland community since 1988 and has served as Auxiliary Rabbi for Park Synagogue since 2020. Rabbi Rosie is in hospice, which is a very, very painful sentence for me to write.

“Rabbi Rosie has taught many of you for 38 years, from the pulpit and in the classroom, at weddings and at funerals, through synagogue programming and in advocating for Israel. She has taught me for 36 years, ever since I arrived here in 1990. She has been a friend of our congregation, a member of our congregation, and more recently, a Rabbi of the congregation. A true team player, she has enhanced synagogue life by encouraging and connecting others, never seeking the limelight for herself.

In 2025, Haim was appointed to a two-year term as chair of the Israel Bonds Cleveland Campaign advisory council.

Haim was a longtime investor and supporter of Israel Bonds, and was the immediate past chairperson of the Israel Bonds national rabbinic advisory council, becoming the first woman to hold the position in 2022. She was also a member of the Israel Bonds national campaign advisory council. In 2022, she was presented with the Women of Valor pin. The pin was first given to former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt and is the highest recognition by the Israel Bonds Women’s Division.

“I’ve always believed that the words ‘Israel Bonds’ tell us as much about our ancient heritage as it does about the present-day mandate, we have to keep Israel central in our lives,” Haim said in a news release previously. “I’m honored to be part of the mission to draw people closer to Israel through Israel Bonds. Investing in Israel bonds is more than a financial tool, it’s a reflection of our spiritual connection to the land and the people of Israel.

A founding member of the Zionist Rabbinic Coalition and national board member of AIPAC, Haim advocated for greater engagement with Israel – the people and the land – to strengthen the Jewish community, Israel and the US-Israel relationship.

Haim was a chaplain for the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, a program supported by its annual Campaign for Jewish Needs, that comforts members of the Jewish community in hospitals, nursing homes, the military and prisons through correspondence and visits.

In 2017, Haim received the Tikkun Olam Award (repairing of the world) from NA’AMAT USA.

Haim was a member of multiple boards, including the Cleveland Jewish Publication Company Board of Directors, the Jewish Federation of Cleveland and the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland.

Most recently, she held the position of vice chair of the governance committee at the CJPC, which is responsible for recruiting and nominating new board directors and officers of the Company. She has also served as director, secretary and vice chair of the CJPC.