Minyan Makers
The intention of this new project called Minyan Makers is to get to know each one of the people who have come to Chabad of Coronado to make our minyan. By getting to know everyone a little better, we feel it will make us an even more special minyan family.
Profile on: Joseph Ziegel
By: Richard Friedman
Last edited: June 25, 2024
Our next Minyan Maker is Earl Joseph Ziegel, known to most of us as Joseph or Reb Joseph. (Note: Reb is a mark of respect for someone of profound knowledge of the Torah or Talmud).
Besides Rabbi Eli, Joseph has been a member of more Chabad minyans than any one of us. He also attends all of our Chabad services, events and classes. By choice, his seat is in front of the door.
At his request, this write up will focus more on his faith than on his personal life, which we will get to later. He wants everyone to know about his relationship with Hashem and how it developed and that everyone has that same opportunity to make that connection. He continues to sanctify Hashem and his wish is that others develop their own special relationship. (Writer’s note: It is difficult to put someone’s spiritual feelings on paper and I hope I have done justice to Joseph’s special relationship with Hashem).
Joseph grew up in basically a non observant household. His family did celebrate Passover, but that was the extent of their religious observance. His most meaningful Jewish moment came when, as an adult, he attended a Shabbat service at a small Kabbalah synagogue in Las Vegas. It was the first Shabbat service he had ever attended. His wife asked him to go with her and he reluctantly agreed. He was called to the Torah for an Aliyah. When he touched the Torah for the first time ever, he experienced a special surge like current, a sense of awe and awakening which he had never felt before. That night he had a vision. He closed his eyes and Hebrew letters were flashing before him. He didn’t understand the letters or their meaning. This happened again to him the next week after attending services. He came home and he had the same experience. Hebrew letters appeared to him once again. This has happened to him several times. It was like he was being told by Hashem that there is more to see and much more to learn. He started studying and learning as much as he could, which he is still doing today.
He puts Tefillin on every day, excluding holidays. This started, again as an adult, when he was working in a computer store and a Rabbi came into the store. He asked Joseph if would like to put on Tefillin. He had such a special spiritual feeling from the experience that he has been doing it ever since.
The events mentioned above have all been a sequence or progression, which continue today. From his going to shul initially, to his visions, to his first putting on Tefillin, they have all led him to where he is today. He continues to sanctify Hashem in conducting his daily life and studies.
Joseph prays every day, and the minyan enables him to do that in the shul along with the rest of our Minyan Makers. He feels that special spiritual bond that comes from praying as a group, learning from each other and experiencing that special brotherhood. It’s also a great way to start his day.
His favorite Jewish holiday is Shabbat, because it comes every week. He enjoys the special feeling it brings him and enables him to interact with and greet our Chabad family and enjoy the service and the study of the weekly Torah portion.
His favorite Jewish moment is when he celebrated his Bar Mitzvah at Chabad of Coronado when he was 72 in 2009.
Rabbi Eli is the person that inspires him and has made the biggest impression on him. He is so proud of what he has accomplished as our Rabbi and the wonderful family that he and Zeldi have created. He marvels at all their wonderful children. He greatly admires Rabbi’s devotion to Judaism and our congregation, as well as his ability to bring people together.
He tries to learn something different about Judaism every day. He would like to become more proficient in Hebrew so he can have more insight into rabbinical thinking. He would like to learn as much as he can while he can, knowing that you can never learn it all. And to sanctify Hashem as much as he can in the time he has left.
The State of Israel is very important to Joseph and peace in Israel is a cause that he greatly cares about. He has been able to visit there twice. On his first trip in 2008 he was overwhelmed when visiting the Kotel and wept openly. His favorite experience was visiting the Ari Mikvah in Tzfat (Safed). His second trip was with Rabbi Eli, and Zeldi on a JLI trip in 2016. He spent an extended time in Tzfat and experienced a special spiritual connection.
He discovered Chabad of Coronado in 2008 when he moved to San Diego to help his daughter in her dog day care and boarding business. He was shul shopping and had heard about our Chabad. He had gone to other synagogues in Las Vegas and San Diego but he just never connected. He started attending when his wife told him that they needed him. There was just something within him that told him that this was the place he belonged.
Joseph’s favorite Jewish food is P’tcha (in Yiddish deglibba defees- it is a kind of aspic prepared from calves feet). The last time he was able to find and enjoy this Jewish delicacy was in 2008.
Earl Joseph Ziegel was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1937. In 1963 he moved to Tustin, California, then Corona, then Las Vegas for 31 years, before settling in Coronado.
He attended high school at Erasmus Hall in Brooklyn, before going to SUNY (State University of New York) and CCNY (City College of New York), where he had aspirations of becoming a chicken farmer, which didn’t pan out.
He has three children, two boys Aaron and Brad who live in Reno and his daughter Michelle who lives in Littleton, Colorado. He has one great grandson, Cooper, in Colorado.
His business career started in Southern California and Nevada where he was in food sales. He started his own business in Las Vegas, E Z Foods which lasted for 31 years and had 23 employees. He developed and sold products like soup bases and spices to many businesses and hotels including Caesar’s Palace and the Tropicana.
The three words that he feels describe him are: honest, sincere and dependable. I think that all of us can attest to that.
His most precious possession is his family. The best decision he ever made was moving to Coronado. His biggest regret is not starting to learn and study Judaism earlier, but he is most thankful for the opportunity. What he’d like to accomplish this year is to learn as much as he can and to impart it to other people. What has impressed him in his travels is the beauty of nature that Hashem has put on the planet for us to enjoy. His pet peeve is our current political situation. His favorite biblical quote is to “love your neighbor as yourself.” He enjoys classical music like Beethoven's 9th and Mozart. His favorite song is Neil Diamond's “I am I said”, which reminds him of his journey from Brooklyn to Los Angeles.
His wish is for everyone to discover Hashem in his or her own way. The opportunity is there. He is also willing to communicate with anyone and impart to others his experiences and help them develop their own relationship with Hashem.
We hope this has given you a glimpse into the life of our Minyan Maker Reb Joseph Ziegel and we look forward in future weeks to learning more about other Minyan Makers.
Thank you Joseph for being a Minyan Maker!
If you’re interested in being profiled, here is more information to help make it happen! We are very open to ideas & feedback 🙂
