Local Los Angeles Rabbi RBO Bat-Or, passed away on Oct. 1 after a five-year battle with cancer.
The Journal spoke with RBO just over a year ago and you can read about per life and work in that interview here.
JQ International issued the following statement shortly after RBO’s passing:
Condolences: May Per Memory Be A Blessing
Rabbi RBO Bat-Or, a beloved parent, grandparent, friend, colleague, educator, LGBTQ+ activist, therapist and founder and director emeritus of the JQ Helpline & Inclusion Services, passed away on Thursday, Oct. 1 after a brave five-year battle with cancer.
Rabbi RBO leaves a legacy any of us would be lucky to achieve — one marked by a deep drive to make the world a more just and equitable place. RBO will be remembered for fierce advocacy on behalf of LGBTQ+ people and unparalleled gentleness and kindness. A devoted educator and a rabbi ordained by the Ziegler School of Rabbinics, RBO spearheaded the launch of the JQ Helpline in 2014, which continues to be a literal life saver for thousands of community members in need.
Over the course of per life, Rabbi RBO helped transform countless communities through LGBTQ+ inclusion education. (As a non-binary gender fluid human, Rabbi RBO used the gender pronouns per and pers.) Last year, the Jewish Journal did a feature story entitled “RBO The Rabbi who Eschews Conventional Gender Pronouns.”
The Talmud teaches that if you save a single life, it is as if you have saved the entire world. By that measure, Rabbi RBO saved our world over and over and over again. We grieve for a true luminary of our time, a role model and friend.
Rabbi RBO is survived by son Michael, daughter-in-law Jennifer and grandchildren Sam, Owen, and Ava. Memorial arrangements are pending and we will post plans on our website once they are finalized. Messages to Rabbi RBO’s family can be sent to execdir@jqinternational.org.
May per memory be a blessing.
RBO will be buried in Connecticut on Oct. 8. Zoom memorial and shivah arrangements will be held after the Simchat Torah holiday, which ends on the evening of Oct. 11
JQ is here for you at this moment of grief and always. If you need support, please reach out to our Helpline at 855-JQI-HLPS or helpline@jqinternational.org.
