Letter written by the late Rosalind Crosby to Bnai Shalom website/webmaster 9/2009.

First, this from her website:Rosalind Crosby recently passed away from leukemia. Demonstrating the well refined character that shone through in all that she did, she was passionately devoted to releasing her beautiful music on this website for the enjoyment and enrichment of others. It is my sincere hope you will take some time to enjoy Rosalind's music and see if it will not enlighten your life as it has mine. Rosalind was well loved by all, and she will be sorely missed. --Mike Upton, Rosalind's website developer. May 1st 2009

Rosalind's BEAUTIFUL website. Please check it.   Daughter Cherie Shoemaker's website

November 2014: As it turns out, this story, this couple - as today related by Rosland's husband Ross - relate and interchange with some very amazing peoples and experiences. Marcel Kahne of France, who was a holocaust surviver at age 7 - parents taken - approached by missionary Dean Hailstone (who married Rosalind's cousin) but wasn't interested. Dean invited him at then age 14 to translate phamplets into French, because there were none in French. He then wanted to be baptised but his adoptive mother felt she owed it to his parents to raise him Jewish. He was baptised at 21 and went on to translate the BOM, D&C, and PoGP into French, Elder Charles Didier is part of the story, as was Hugh Nibley. Please now read the content of this letter.
May 2009

I just found your web site and I am very interested for many reasons. My husband is the second great grandson of Orson Hyde. We went to the dedication of the Orson Hyde Park in Jerusalem years ago.

We are trying to connect with Netanya Academic College because of a bronze sculpture I have in my living room. They want to buy a copy of it by Wendy Babbel. BYU Jerusalem Center also wants a copy of the sculpture which we intend to deliver. They love Orson Hyde because of his dedicating Jerusalem to the return of the Jews. It was done by a dear friend, Wendy Babbel who I had commissioned to do 12 paintings of women of the Old Testament.

Also, I might add that my husband was called to the Palestine Syrian Mission from June 1949 to December of 1951. The mission was closed around January, 1951. He did get to visit the Holy Land before he left. The Elders were then assigned to other missions. Since he spoke French he was eventually sent to Belgium.

One of the converts while he was there was Marcel Kahne, a Jewish convert with a wonderful story, who has done a tremendous amount of translating of the scriptures into French. Also other converts were the mother and siblings of our Seventy, Charles Didier. He joined later.

I have written and performed now 6 times an oratorio called “Celebrating Women Of The Old Testament”. You can visit my web site and listen to the music and see the paintings that are oil paintings 30/40. We are having them put on a calendar for 2009 for the next time we perform. We use the paintings throughout the performance.

Go to the link Oratorio and then on that page link to #5streaming music, and you will see the paintings that are used for each song. You can click on Hi Fi or Lo Fi on the top corner and hear the numbers performed by either -
my daughter, Cherie Crosby Shoemaker, a dramatic coloratura soprano (She is Rebecca in one of the paintings)
or my cousin, Carla Rae Cook who is a messo soprano opera singer,
or a group of women for the chorus.

As you will read about, all of my daughters, granddaughters are in the paintings representing these wonderful women of the Old Testament. I wrote this oratorio to reach out to the House of Israel, especially Judah.

We use a cantor before each number singing a particular scripture pertaining to the aria, duet or choral piece in Hebrew of course. The last number, “Hallelujah” is sung in English by the soloists and the chorus in Hebrew. I also hope to have my oratorio performed at the BYU Center. I haven’t yet contacted them.

Your organization is something that I would love to be involved with!

Years ago we organized a group to perform Hebrew songs and dances. I’m sure that helped lead me to write this oratorio as well as my the connection of my husband to Orson Hyde. His mother was Janice Hyde Crosby. I am coming to Salt Lake City to be to the opening of my cousin’s one woman Art show on Oct. 29 2009. Her name is Shawna Cook Clinger.

I would love to meet with some of you while I am there. I would love to hear from you.

By the way, I have even put a portion of Orson Hyde’s dedicatory prayer to music also. I need to orchestrate it still. Thank you.

Sincerely, Rosalind M.Luke Crosby.