In August, 2009 Rudy developed Chesed v'Emet, LLC (Hebrew for “Kindness and Truth”) in order to serve grieving families with their funeral needs. Chesed v'Emet is a full service funeral provider that is able to save families between 15-40% without sacrificing personal professional service or quality merchandise.

A licensed funeral director for more than 37 years Rudy was associated with Lloyd Mandel Levayah Funerals (1995-2009). Rudy was the Director of Community Outreach for Weinstein Brothers Memorial Chapels (1988-1995) in Wilmette, where he facilitated bereavement support groups in addition to his role as a funeral director.
Before being recruited by Weinstein Brothers in 1988, Rudy served as a funeral director with Levine Chapels of Brookline, Massachusetts. Maintaining a private counseling practice, Rudy, who is also a licensed clinical psychotherapist, was the Senior Addictions Counselor in the Addictions Treatment Services at Resurrection Medical Center in Chicago, from 1993 through 1995. There he gained experience dealing with chemically addicted people and their families. Rudy had run hundreds of groups in the Intensive Outpatient Program. In addition, he developed and ran the Codependency program and was the family counselor at Resurrection Medical Center.
Rudy earned his Masters degree in Community and Family Counseling from Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago and his undergraduate degree in Small Business Management from Lesley College in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He has presented at numerous local and national conventions, including the National Hospice Organization annual conventions and the National Funeral Directors Association annual conventions. Currently Rudy is working to complete his book which deals with complications in grief and mourning. He has had more than a dozen articles published locally and nationally on subjects dealing with death, dying, and the grieving process.
Rudy frequently addresses Religious School Students as well as Adult Education Classes on Jewish Funeral Customs and Traditions.
Psychotherapy
Since 1992, Rudy has maintained a private psychotherapy practice in addition to his role as a funeral director. With a strong background in grief and loss issues, he was trained as a substance abuser counselor and served as the senior addictions counselor in the outpatient unit of Resurrection Medical Center. Rudy works with relationship issues, codependency issues, and with couples experiencing difficulties in their relationships.
Rudy believes in short-term treatment and, along with the client, periodically reviews the need for continued sessions. Most issues can be resolved within a few sessions. Once the initial issues that brings a person into therapy have been dealt with, it becomes the client's choice if he or she wants to continue counseling that might resolve other, deeper issues.
Testimonials