Toale Brothers Funeral Home recently hired rabbi Howard Simon as a liaison to the Jewish community. In the newly created position, Simon will provide counseling and outreach with a focus on serving the needs of Jewish families. Simon was ordained as a rabbi at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati. Prior to assuming leadership of Sarasota’s Temple Emanu-El, he served congregations in Baltimore, Atlantic City, Cincinnati and Knoxville. Toale Brothers has served the Sarasota area for three generations. The Toale family purchased the original funeral home in downtown Sarasota in 1948.