Bernard Leonard Rivkin, a Chicago lawyer and real estate entrepreneur who used his success to support social justice causes and civic institutions, died July 3 at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. He was 79.
Rivkin’s family announced his death following a short but difficult struggle with esophageal cancer. The timing — during the nation’s 250th birthday celebrations — carried particular meaning for the family; Rivkin’s life began amid the upheaval of World War II and migration that would shape his identity and civic commitments.
From displaced persons camp to Chicago neighborhoods
Born Feb. 1, 1947, in a Displaced Persons Camp in Hessisch-Lichtenau, then under U.S. Army control, Rivkin arrived in the United States as a child. His parents, Sol and Ella Rivkin, and sister Riva, had been born in eastern Latvia and survived wartime dislocation in Soviet-controlled Central Asia before moving west. The family spent Rivkin’s earliest years in Paris and then settled in Chicago, becoming naturalized U.S. citizens in 1957.
They raised the family first in Albany Park and later in West Rogers Park. His father owned a deli known locally for its homemade salami, and his mother was a homemaker. Rivkin attended Roosevelt High School before earning degrees from Roosevelt University and John Marshall Law School.
Legal career and civic engagement
Rivkin clerked for Illinois Appellate Court Judge David Linn and later worked for George Feiwell before co-founding the law firm Braun and Rivkin with Michael Braun. His career in law and real estate made him a familiar figure in Chicago’s professional circles; he held long-time memberships in institutions such as the University Club and the Chicago Athletic Association prior to its closure as a private club.
Throughout his life, Rivkin directed resources and attention to social justice causes. He and his family maintained active civic and cultural interests, including patronage of the arts.
Family and personal life
Rivkin met his first wife, Diane Pockelwald, in 1967. Their daughter, Amanda Rivkin, was born in 1984. That marriage later ended in divorce. In 2007, he married attorney Rena Honorow; the couple were noted patrons of Chicago’s arts scene.
“He loved America because he knew what it meant to be an American,”
— Amanda Rivkin, daughter
Local footprint and legacy
For Chicagoans, Rivkin’s story is rooted in the neighborhoods where he grew up and the institutions he supported. His trajectory — from a displaced person’s camp to becoming a naturalized citizen, lawyer and developer — reflects the 20th-century immigration and civic narratives that helped shape the city.
- Born: Feb. 1, 1947, Hessisch-Lichtenau (Displaced Persons Camp)
- Died: July 3, 2026, Northwestern Memorial Hospital (age 79)
- Education: Roosevelt University; John Marshall Law School
| Stage | Place/Detail |
|---|---|
| Early childhood | Paris; Displaced Persons Camp in Hessisch-Lichtenau |
| Raised in | Albany Park; West Rogers Park, Chicago |
| Career | Clerk for Illinois Appellate Court Judge David Linn; co-founder Braun and Rivkin |
Survivors include his daughter Amanda, his wife Rena Honorow, sister Riva, and extended family. Funeral and memorial arrangements were not listed in the family announcement published with the obituary.
Rivkin’s passing is a moment for local reflection on the long contributions of immigrant families to Chicago’s legal, business and cultural life — and for neighbors in Albany Park and West Rogers Park to remember a longtime community figure whose life bridged continents and decades.
