William Greenberg, 1926-2007: Rabbi was mentor long after retiring

His sermons were uplifting, logical and extemporaneous; his sense of humor always on cue.

For 45 years, Rabbi William Greenberg was the spiritual leader at Congregation Ezra Bessaroth in Seward Park, inspiring his followers with kindness.

	Greenberg

He also had famous connections. He and his wife, Rosa, were friends of the mother of Steven Spielberg when they all lived in Arizona. He taught the future movie director and conducted his bar mitzvah.

When Greenberg celebrated his 80th birthday last year, Spielberg sent him a special video greeting from Dreamworks studio, wishing him 40 more years of health.

The greeting, along with a photo of the rabbi and the director on a movie set, is posted on the synagogue's Web site.

"He would always get a tape or letter from Spielberg congratulating him. He was very close to him in a way," said Elazar Behar, a former congregation president.

Greenberg died this week in his Seattle home. He was 81. He was discovered Thursday after uncharacteristically missing a morning service.

About 800 people filled the sanctuary Friday afternoon for a funeral, with several speakers remembering Greenberg's oratory skills and passion for Jewish education.

"My father was very logical, very rational," so family discussions sounded "like a bunch of lawyers," said Don Greenberg, the rabbi's older son.

To know and maintain the teachings of the Torah and Jewish tradition would be to uphold his father's legacy, he said.

Retired Rabbi Solomon Maimon, who served at Sephardic Bikur Holim Congregation in Seattle when Greenberg was rabbi at Ezra Bessaroth, called his contemporary "a role model."

"He never would tell you to do a thing he didn't do already," Maimon said.

Greenberg stayed active in the synagogue 15 years beyond his retirement, mentoring rabbis who replaced him and continuing teachings.

Rabbi Salomon Cohen-Scali, who currently leads Ezra Bessaroth, said Greenberg was a righteous, honest and modest man, someone who knew how to make others feel comfortable.

"His only purpose was to bring (the) Torah to everyone in a pleasant manner," Cohen-Scali said.

Greenberg graduated from a seminary school in Chicago and held a doctorate in education from the University of Washington and a degree in electrical engineering. He served as a chaplain in the Army just after World War II.

Greenberg came to Seattle in 1962 from a synagogue in Phoenix.

In addition to his son, Don, of New York, Greenberg is survived by his wife, Rosa; daughters Sarah Goldman of Mercer Island and Dena Greenberg of New Jersey; and son Aryeh Greenberg of Seattle, the hazzan at Ezra Bessaroth.