Just settling into retirement, Rabbi Sholem Lifchetz contracted COVID-19 and passed away on April 22.

Lifchetz began his career after learning in the famed Telshe Yeshiva in Cleveland.

For more than 40 years, he served as a kosher field supervisor for the OU Kashrus Department, a branch of the Orthodox Union.

Well-versed in the intricacies of Jewish law, he would visit stores carrying the OU certification and ensure that everything was run to the highest standards of kashrut.

Lifchetz worked with honesty and integrity, and was loved by his colleagues in the industry. Everywhere he went, he would treat all the store workers with dignity and respect, and was known as a gentleman.

He announced his retirement in early 2018. Lifchetz is survived by his wife, children and grandchildren.

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