Rev. Aaron S. Polinsky, 92, died April 29, 2014.
Born and raised in Jersey City, N.J., Rev. Polinsky earned a bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J., and a master’s degree from Columbia University Teachers College in New York City. After graduating from Rutgers, he was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1942 and served four years in the Army Medical Corps as a surgical nurse. On May 19, 1946, he married Helen Vogel in Jersey City. Rev. Polinsky taught foreign languages, primarily French, at several high schools in New Jersey. In his last years of teaching before retirement, he served as the head of the foreign languages department at West Essex High School in Caldwell, N.J. Upon retirement in 1982, Rev. Polinsky and his wife retired to Tucson. During his years in Tucson, Rev. Polinsky was an active volunteer with several Jewish community organizations, including serving as a volunteer hospital chaplain. He also volunteered at the VA Hospital. He continued his love of teaching by helping children prepare for their Bar and Bat Mitzvahs.
Rev. Polinsky was preceded in death by his daughter Elaine (Eric) Prosnitz; his wife of 62 years, Helen; and his siblings, Isaac, Ida, Max and Frances. Survivors include his daughter Ruth (Wayne) Rothschild of Rochester, Minn.; five grandchildren and three great- grandchildren.
Graveside services were held in the Congregation Anshei Israel section of Evergreen Cemetery, with Cantor Avi Alpert of Congregation Bet Shalom officiating.
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