Rina Sky Wolfgang

A memorial service will be held in her honor today, Sunday, February 11, 2018, 4:30 p.m. at Beth David Synagogue in Greensboro.

Rina was born August 15, 1952 in Salem, MA, the daughter of Rabbi Harry Zvi Sky and Ruth Levinson Sky.

Rina grew up in Portland, Maine and received her bachelor’s degree from Ohio Wesleyan University, and master’s degrees from Columbia Teachers College and the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. Rina met her husband, Bob and his loving family in Youngstown Ohio, raised her two children in Rhode Island, and joined the Greensboro community in 2006. She taught at B’nai Shalom, Elon University and most recently Grimsley High School where she led the only public Hebrew language program in North Carolina. Rina was a bright light even throughout her battle with cancer. She was loving and comforting, yet tenacious in her belief of doing the right thing and was a great inspiration to all those who came in contact with her. Rina loved listening to 60’s and 70’s rock music and watching her beloved Boston Red Sox. Most of all, Rina enjoyed spending time with her family.

In addition to her father Rabbi Sky, Rina is survived by her husband, Robert Wolfgang; son, Jacob Wolfgang and wife Katie; daughter, Tahlia Wolfgang; brothers, Uri and Ari Sky and his wife Eve, nieces and nephews. Rina was also incredibly loved by the Wolfgang family, and will be dearly missed by her friends and students.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks with gratitude that donations be made in her memory to the Rina Sky Wolfgang Memorial Scholarship Fund. Checks can be made out to: Jewish Foundation of Greensboro Attn: Rina’s Fund, and sent to 5509-C West Friendly Ave, Greensboro NC.

Hanes-Lineberry N. Elm Chapel is assisting the Wolfgang family.

Online condolences may be made at www.haneslineberryfuneralhomes.com

RINA'S EULOGY

On Friday August 15th 1952 in Salem Massachusetts, Rabbi Harry Sky and his wife Ruth Levinson Sky gave birth to their first child, Rina, who arrived just in time for Shabbas. This should not surprise you for those of you who know Rina, because she never likes to be late for things. Ever. As the Rabbi built the foundation of his career, the Sky family lived in Gloucester MA, Houston TX , and Indianapolis IN before settling in Portland, ME in 1961. Rina was joined by her younger brothers, Uri and Ari, as the Sky family set roots in Portland Maine that would extend for the next 50 years. As you may all be aware, the Sky’s have always been a family that was never afraid to “push the envelope”. On November 27th, 1965 Rina became the first Bat Mitzvah in a conservative synagogue in the state of Maine. It should not surprise you that Rina would carry this same spirit with her through her entire life. Try telling Rina she wasn’t allowed to do something? Good luck, buddy. Try telling Rina that someone else was inferior or less qualified because of their gender, religion, sexual orientation, or background? Not a chance, pal. Rina carried with her that underdog spirit that would be a hallmark of her amazing 65 years here on Earth.

Also not surprisingly, Rina was never the type to back away from a challenge. She left the comforts of New England, and attended Ohio Wesleyan University, which as you can imagine was not necessarily a beacon of Jewish culture in the early 1970’s. Her first roommate very innocently and politely asked her if her horns had been surgically removed. Toto, we’re not in Maine anymore… Despite the initial culture shock, Rina thrived at Ohio Wesleyan, and traveled abroad to spend her junior year at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Israel became a vitally important piece in Rina’s life, and she would carry this connection with her throughout her journey.

Following college, Rina had ambitions of grad school and aspired to go somewhere that reminded her of rural Ohio. This place was of course 1970’s New York City. Rina earned a master’s in education from Columbia Teacher’s college, a master’s of Jewish education from the Jewish Theological Seminary, and a master’s in Donna Summer from Studio 54. After a stop in Florida, the allure and bright lights of Ohio called again as Rina accepted a teaching job in Youngstown, OH.

Sometimes the stars align in a certain way, in a certain place, at a certain time, where the universe comes together to create a set of circumstances that change the course of our own history. I don’t think Rina would have anticipated meeting a man like Bob, six years her junior, from Poland OH, no Jewish heritage to speak of whatsoever. She was, and always has been, the rabbi’s daughter which came with it a certain set of expectations about who she should ultimately spend her life with. Remember when I told you what happens when you tell Rina she can’t do something? Rina and Bob’s love for each other spanned all boundaries of background and religion, and Bob’s family welcomed Rina into their lives in Youngstown with open arms. Knowing what an important aspect Judaism was to Rina’s life, Bob made the decision and commitment to convert to Judaism to ensure that he could spend the rest of his life with the woman he loved. Seeing the devotion that Bob had to Rina and to her faith, the Sky family welcomed Bob into their life and Rina and Bob were married on July 20th, 1982 in the Rose Gardens of Millcreek Park in Youngstown.

Shortly thereafter, Rina got her first job opportunity in this strange new land down South they call North Carolina. She was the assistant Hillel Director at UNC-Chapel Hill, and leader of the interfaith student group on campus. One student that was part of the interfaith group was this very tall, lanky kid that Rina used to talk to often after class. His name was something like… Michael Jordan, maybe you’ve heard of him. Not only did Rina’s first experience in NC foster her love for the Tarheels, this time also brought upon the 2 absolute greatest joys in her life, her kids Jacob and Tahlia.

For those of you that have spent any time with Rina, you will quickly know how much she adores her children. Jake and Tali have been the beacon of Bob and Rina’s lives for over 30 years, and they were and continue to be what brings them the most fulfillment and joy in life. However, this pride is not only reserved for her own children, as Rina was like a second mom to many of her children’s friends and her students. She had a way of connecting with people of all ages and backgrounds, and a way of making everyone feel loved and important in their own, unique way.

This point in Rina’s journey brings the Wolfgang family to Rhode Island in the summer of 1987. Rina took the job as Director of Hillel at the URI which upon arriving seemed to be a bit of a “Bizarro” UNC, for you Seinfeld fans. Same school colors, same mascot, even the same fight song. But unbeknownst to her, Rhode Island would become one of the fundamentally important locations in Rina’s life, the place where she raised her children into their adult years, and watched them graduate high school and proceed onto college and their adult lives.

One unanticipated stop on the Rhode Island journey was found in a newspaper one spring afternoon in 1990. As a teacher with 2 kids, Rina was looking for some supplemental income during the summer breaks at URI, and stumbled across a job as Jewish Chaplain at Yawgoog Scout Reservation, the second largest Boy Scout camp in the USA, located in Rockville, RI. Rina thought of it as a great way to make a few extra bucks, and a great summer location for her young kids to get some time outdoors and maybe learn how to swim. I don’t think anyone anticipated how much of an impact Yawgoog would have on the lives of the Wolfgang family, and in turn the impact that Rina would have on the campers, staffers, and the Yawgoog community in her 10 years at camp.

However, as many of you know, Rina was never afraid to ruffle a few feathers, especially if this meant standing up for what she believed was right. She was always a champion of the underdog, and just like her father, was not afraid to put her reputation on the line to stand for injustice. Rina was a friend and confidant to many of the staff, many of whom were teenagers still discovering their own identities. In 1999, one of her son’s closest friends was fired by the camp for the sole fact that he admitted he was gay, which was prohibited at the time in the Boy Scouts. Despite risking her job in the process, Rina’s moral compass never wavered, as she staged a walkout of the staff, only to return upon his reinstatement. Although controversial at the time, Rina was clearly on the correct side of history as the Boy Scouts of America now not only allows members of all orientations and backgrounds, but has also recently changed policy to include women in it’s ranks. It is very heartening to see many of these same staff members, once vulnerable teenagers, now thriving adults in their 30’s and 40’s that have maintained their connection with Rina to this day.

But Rina’s first love was the classroom. For those of you that had the pleasure of being her student, she had that natural ability to make everything seem interesting, engage people of all backgrounds, and find a real-life connection to every story and lesson. Rina felt a calling to continue her love of teaching in conjunction with her connection to her Jewish faith. She taught at the Alperin Schechter Day School in Providence, RI for many years before receiving an opportunity in 2006 to return to what would become the final foundational pillar in her life, the Greensboro North Carolina community.

Now that the kids were off to college and out of the house, Bob and Rina looked forward to their new chapter in North Carolina, their own “Part Deux” so to speak. However, Rina contracted something very serious in her time in Rhode Island, a severe case of Red Sox fever. Watching the Red Sox was one of Rina’s connections to her mother, Ruth, and she then passed along that love to both of her kids, Jake and Tali. You know how they say absence makes the heart grow fonder? Well, Rina’s Red Sox fandom took on a new life of it’s own down here in NC as she had to make sure that every car she owned had a Sox sticker, and every desk she occupied was also occupied by at least a David Ortiz bobblehead or two. This connection to the Red Sox kept her close to her kids, even as they proceeded onto their own adult lives in New York City, Boston, and Maine. Her phone calls of “Did you see that?!” or “Back, Back, back!” were nightly occurrences in the Wolfgang household, some even held while watching games together with her kids over the phone. Despite the distance, plans were always arranged to try and do 1 Red Sox game per year, and her children look forward to continuing this tradition for many years to come in her honor.

This brings us to the point in Rina’s journey that the universe has decided to connect with many of you sitting here today. To her children who never lived in North Carolina in their adult lives, Rina’s impact in the Greensboro community was somewhat unknown. She taught at B’nai Shalom, before moving along to Elon College and Grimsley High School, where she taught the only public school Hebrew language program in the state of North Carolina. Not that these aren’t wonderful accomplishments, but it’s just a small part of the story as it’s difficult to measure the impact that Rina has had on her friends, colleagues, and students in the community.

Nobody wants cancer to be part of their story. But we don’t get to choose those things in life most times, and things like cancer end up as part of lives whether we like it or not. So once you accept, for better or for worse, that something is part of your life, do you let it destroy you or do you use this experience to make yourself a better person? I think we can all agree that Rina did the latter, and showed fierce tenacity and bravery in the face of an uncertain future. It wasn’t always as easy as she made it seem. Rina kept a brave face amongst her colleagues and students, but being faced with terminal cancer can make the best of us succumb to our fears and anxieties sometimes. But with the unwavering support, love, and care from her husband Bob, the love of her children, and her ever-present faith in G-d and his plan, Rina truly found a way to make herself a better person through the entire experience.

The idea of a bucket list can be morbid, but also something that can be very therapeutic. Rina was the type of person that loved to set goals for herself, and then set out to achieve those goals at all costs. Rina set up that bucket list for herself and, “move over world!”, she was going to accomplish what she set her mind out to do. Rina got to watch her son get married, travel back to Boston for a Red Sox game, see Mamma Mia on Broadway, travel with her daughter to Disney, visit Cooperstown and the Baseball Hall of Fame, and most importantly, she got to travel back to the land of Israel, a place that was so near and dear to her heart.

There are many people in this room that made that trip happen for Rina. This very community banded together and raised enough money to send Rina back to the Holy Land to reflect on her own life, but also to share this spiritual experience with her son Jake and his wife Katie. Not only was this important step for Rina and her journey, but it became a formative experience for her family as well, as they continue to shape their own journeys of faith. There will be always be a piece of Rina that is forever connected to the land of Israel, and her family, including me personally, is so thankful that the community was able to provide the assistance needed to help her achieve one of her main goals, we are all forever grateful.

Rina’s last chapter did not go how many of us had planned, but I think that’s normally how last chapters tend to go in this life. But even after her passing, Rina will continue to motivate each and every one of us in our daily lives. Set goals, challenge yourself, and strive to achieve what you set out to do. Don’t compromise your own values and morals, stand up for what’s right in this world. Be passionate about what you do, and be passionate about the people you love in your life. See joy in all things, through all hardships, and in all people. Make an impact on this world, and leave the Earth a better place. Rina Sky Wolfgang has done her job, and done so fiercely and valiantly, and her family couldn’t be more proud of her journey. She has set a high bar for us all. Thank you.