Barry Serotkin, who served as executive director of Beth Jacob Congregation from 1995 until his retirement in 2012, died Jan. 23 at Hospice of Dayton from complications of Parkinson’s disease. He was 76.

He had a reputation for providing all who entered Beth Jacob Congregation with the highest level of customer service in an unflappable manner. Serotkin worked with five synagogue presidents, six boards, and handled more than 200 funerals.

“When I got into this, I thought that I had won the job Lotto,” Serotkin told The Observer at the time of his retirement. “And you know the kids that I used to chase around the building here? I see them now, they’re all grown.”

A native of Cincinnati, Serotkin and his wife, Haana, moved to Dayton in 1965 when Edison Brothers Shoes transferred him here. Shortly after, he went to work as a buyer with Elder-Beerman for almost 30 years.

“It was around the holidays and we were unfamiliar with Dayton and financially we were not the greatest at the time,” Serotkin recalled of their arrival in Dayton.

Hope and Larry Footer, friends and neighbors who lived in the same apartment complex, encouraged the Serotkins to try Beth Jacob. “They’ll welcome you with open arms and you don’t need a ticket,” Barry remembered the Footers saying.

“And after that, I just started coming and got involved. I really developed a closeness when my parents passed away. And one of the few places I truly felt comfortable was here.”

Through the urging of Rabbi Samuel Fox, Serotkin joined the board; he ultimately served as secretary, treasurer, and president.

In 1995, when Beth Jacob’s executive director left for a larger synagogue in Cincinnati, Serotkin applied for and was offered the job.

“He was an absolute gift to everyone whose lives he touched,” recalled Hyla Weiskind, a former congregant and sisterhood president who now lives in Cleveland. “He was Mr. Beth Jacob. It was a privilege to have known him.”

To read the complete March 2020 Dayton Jewish Observer, click here.

— Marshall Weiss