Edward Phillip Fox

Rabbi Edward Fox

Edward was born on June 28th, 1935 in Columbus.  Edward's father was Morris Fox and his mother was Rose Kahn.  His paternal grandparents were Harry Fox and Fannie Zaretsky; his maternal grandparents were Edward (Ed) Kahn and Tsirel (CELIA ) Feinberg (Niselovich). He had a sister named Dianne.  He was the older of the two children.  He died from cancer at the age of 73 on September 12th, 2008.  He was buried in Temple Emanuel Cemetery.

• General Notes

  Rabbi Live in Florida. Second Marriage
  
  Rabbi Fox became a rabbi late in life, in 1998.
  
  A former wholesale clothing salesman in Dallas, Texas, he was a teacher at a Dallas Jewish school, a Wisconsin Jewish Camp, and a Jerusalem facility for troubled youth.
  
  Rabbi Fox studied at a Yeshiva (a school specific to Judaic studies) in Dallas and also in Jerusalem.  While in Israel for 6 years, in his 50’s, he was trained to be a cantor by a former cantor and a rabbi from Indianapolis, Indiana.
  
  He returned to the United States in 1991 and landed a position as a cantor in Charleston, South Carolina.  After almost 6 years in S.C. he moved to Jacksonville, FL to become the cantor and educator at a congregation there.  His son, Joel, was also a cantor at another congregation in Jacksonville, and was about to move to southern California to a bigger opportunity.  His son suggested that Rabbi study for the rabbinate.  He listened, and did just that.  The following year, his son was flown into Fort Wayne, Indiana to install his father in his first pulpit as Rabbi at the age of 63.  After three wonderful years in Fort Wayne, he had an offer to become the only rabbi in Lakeland, FL.  He has been in Lakeland at Temple Emanuel since 2001.
  Rabbi Fox and his wife Beverly have 5 children and 14 grandchildren.
  
  RABBI EDWARD P. FOX, 73
  
  Published in the Ledger on 9/14/2008
  
  LAKELAND - Rabbi Edward P. Fox, 73 of Lakeland, died Friday, September 12, 2008 at Good Shepherd Hospice of Auburndale due to complications with cancer.
  
  He was born June 28, 1935 in Columbus, OH to Morris and Rose (Kahn) Fox and moved to Lakeland in 2001. Rabbi Fox served for the past seven years as Rabbi for Temple Emanuel of Lakeland; was treasurer of the Lakeland Area Ministerial Association and active in prison ministry. Edward was also a Korean War Army veteran.
  
  He is survived by his wife, Beverly who resides in Lakeland; his son, Cantor Joel Fox of Atlanta, GA; four daughters, Julie Aaron of Lakeland, Laura (Ray) Dile of Tampa, Deena (David) Wilkenkeld of Israel and Vicki Fox also of Tampa; a sister, Diane Margolies of Newberry Park, CA; fourteen grandchildren and many dear friends
  
  Funeral services will be held 12:00 noon Sunday at Temple Emanuel with Cantor Joel Fox officiating. Interment to be held in Temple Emanuel Cem-etery, Lakeland. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to either Temple Emanuel, Good Shepherd Hospice of Auburndale or to the American Cancer Society.
  
  
  
  CONGREANTS SAY LATE RABBI FOX WAS CARING MAN
  
  Published: Saturday, September 13, 2008
  
  Many congregants at Temple Emanuel said they'd like to think that Rabbi Edward P. Fox passed away Friday about 6 p.m. so that he could celebrate Shabbat, the Jewish holiday of rest that begins at sundown.
  
  That's befitting for a man whose enthusiasm for his faith reached young and old alike, despite recent health struggles.
  
  "Eddie" Fox, rabbi of Temple Emanuel in Lakeland, died Friday at Good Shepherd Hospice from complications with cancer. He was 73.
  
  Fox had been rabbi at the temple for seven years, moving to Lakeland in 2001.
  
  Members of Temple Emanuel remembered Fox as a warm and caring man with a good sense of humor who made people feel good.
  
  "It's a great loss, not just for the synagogue but for the greater community," said Jane Renz.
  
  Fox was very involved in the community, Renz said. He enjoyed reaching out to people of other faiths, inviting them to the synagogue to learn about Judaism. He served as treasurer of the Lakeland Area Ministerial Association and actively participated in an interfaith service every Thanksgiving.
  
  "His cheerful, thoughtful words and disposition provided me with encouragement and inspiration. He spoke into my life both personally and professionally," the Rev. Wade Fahnestock, secretary for the ministerial association, said in an e-mail. "My life has been enriched by our encounters."
  
  With his white hair and beard, when Fox donned a prayer shawl he "looked the part" of a rabbi, said Michael Wiener, president of Temple Emanuel.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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Details of Edward's family with Beverly Sue Karp Aaron