Memorial
Emil Herman Ginsberg, a tireless businessman in Cedar Rapids, a stalwart civic booster and volunteer, long-time pillar of the Jewish community, and family patriarch beloved by three generations of children, died on April 20, 2025. He was 99.
A funeral service will be held at 1:00 PM on Thursday, April 24, 2025, at Temple Judah, located at 3221 Lindsay Lane SE, Cedar Rapids. Burial will immediately follow the service and take place at Eben Israel Cemetery, located at 207 Hawthorne Drive SW, Cedar Rapids. A shiva will be held at 7:00 PM on Thursday, April 24, 2025, and will be held at Temple Judah.
Known as “Herman” to just about everybody, from his grandchildren to strangers on the street, Ginsberg was the third-generation owner of a family business, Ginsberg’s Jewelers, one of Cedar Rapids’ longest-running retail businesses. Ginsberg, with the help of his brothers and later his son, ran the business since 1948, through countless downturns, booms, and the 2008 flood. Not one for retirement or relaxation, he worked into his mid-nineties, greeting visitors and holding court on the sales floor. Interacting with and learning about others of all backgrounds always gave him energy and joy.
Born on Jan. 15, 1926, in Sedalia, Missouri, Ginsberg was the eldest of three sons of Rose (Alport) and Isadore Ginsberg, who had moved to Cedar Rapids in 1930. Ginsberg graduated from Franklin High School and enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps, (later the U.S. Air Force) serving as corporal from 1943 to 1945 at Hobbs Army Airfield in New Mexico. It ignited his interest in flying, and he later became a licensed, instrument-rated private pilot based at Cedar Rapids Airport.
Ginsberg was the first in his family to graduate college, earning a bachelor’s degree in commerce from the University of Iowa in 1948. According to Ginsberg ’s account, he graduated in the morning, lunched with his family at midday, started at the store in the afternoon—and never left. He ran the business with his father and brothers, who at one point operated five locations in Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, and Des Moines. His son Steven joined the business in 1993, and the pair led the business through recessions and the 2008 flood. In 2024, Steve transformed Ginsberg’s into an appointment-only operation and closed the physical storefront.
Before the flood, Ginsberg was a fixture in downtown Cedar Rapids as head of the family’s retail and real estate businesses and was a member or leader of numerous civic/business organizations, including the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance, Rotary Club, Kiwanis Club, Literary Club, Linn Phoenix Club, and was a fifty-year member of the Mt. Hermon Masonic Lodge #263. Like many other merchants and boosters, Ginsberg was deeply and personally shaken by the flood after working and investing for decades to sustain the downtown area. In 2009, he and his son Steve relocated the store to the Market Place on First Shopping Center.
A proud member of the Cedar Rapids Jewish community, Ginsberg, (along with his late wife Phyllis) held several leadership roles at Temple Judah over many years. Ginsberg had been an ardent supporter of the State of Israel since its founding.
Fiercely loyal to his parents, brothers, wife, children, grand and great grandchildren, Ginsberg took every opportunity to ensure their well-being and encouraged their curiosity about the world.
He is survived by his children, Julie Brusen, Steve Ginsberg, and Tom Ginsberg; grandchildren, Robin Brusen, Sam Brusen, Jackson Bartelme, Lincoln Ginsberg, Harrison Ginsberg, Isabel Ginsberg, and Alexander Ginsberg; great-granddaughter, Penelope Rose Brusen; son-in-law Karl Brusen, daughter-in-law Leslie Hurtig, and daughter-in-law Lucy Harrington. His wife of 43 years, Phyllis, preceded him in death, as did his brothers Stanley and Louis.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Temple Judah Foundation,
https://templejudah.org/donations-and-dues/.
The family would like to thank the staff of Terrace Glenn Village, Cottage Grove Place, and Hospice of Mercy for the love and care given to him over the years.