Jewish Post, Indianapolis, Marion County, 22 May 2002 — Page 13

Mav 22. 2002 NAT 9

The bris was an unforgettable occasion, held in the beautiful sanctuary of the Fifth Avenue Synagogue. You were surrounded by the elite of New York Jewry. There were rabbis, educators, Jewish leaders from all walks of life, people from the political world, writers, thinkers, teachers and so many friends. At the ceremony, 1 particularly remember the participation of Rabbi Emanuel Rackman, chancellor of Bar Han. It was there at the bris that you were given the name of Menachem Leib. At the festive kiddish that foUowed, attended by several hundred people, your Daddy Zev explained that Menachem was the name of your paternal grandfather. Then your mother, Adena shared with those in attendance that your middle name is Leib, named after your maternal grandfather. And so I thought that in this letter to you, my beloved grandson, I would tell you who my father Leib was, and what his life and achievements meant to me and my beloved brother. Martin. ActuaUy, his complete name was Avraham Leib, and he was affectionately called Avraham Leibel. And now you carry his name as your middle one. My father was bom in Lomze and attended the world-famous Lomzer Yeshivah in Poland. I must tell you that my father's mother, my bubbe, and your great, great grandmother, was one of the most saintly people I have ever met. In fact, your Aunt Leah, our youngest child, is named after her. Bubbe Leah was the consummate essence of piety and life-long helpfulness to and for others. Among many things I remember is that she collected from the Jewish community monies to send twin boys who had eye problems to Vienna where there was a world famed ophthalmologist who operated on both of them successfully. I also remember attending as a child services on the High Holy Days in my grandparents' shul. It was considered one of the most orthodox synagogues in Philadelphia. Yet can you believe that they permitted my, bubbe to speak to the congregation from the women's gallery on Yom Kippur on behalf of a worthwhile charity. This was unheard of in those days. Yet she enjoyed such regard that she was granted unanimous accord by the congregation to make the appeal. We speak about love, and more often than not it is conditional. To her, however, love was unconditional especially to my parents and to us the two grandchildren. She carried a picture of me and my brother in a beautiful locket that she always wore around her neck. My grandmother Z"L passed away in 1938 and yet after her passing 56 years ago my love for her and my admiration for her has never diminished. She remains for me an eternal symbol of all that Ls good, noble and worthy in life. Now I may have digressed, but I also wanted you to know the kind of mother Avraham Dub had. When they left Poland and came to America in 1912, it was shortly before the advent of World War I. My father served in the US Army for a brief period of time and, upon his discharge, he graduated from Temple University Pharmacy School. While he was by profession a pharmacist, by avocation he was a man whose entire life embraced Judaism: tradition, Jewish thought, Yiddish and Hebrew literature, Zionism, Yiddish theater and community involvement in a variety of causes. He had a passionate dedication to all of the aforementioned interests. I hope and pray that you, Menachem Leib, will discover worth and meaning in our Jewish heritage and thus dedicate your life to many of his interests. While I am not able in the confines of this letter to share with you all that he achieved, let me teU you some of the highlights of his life of achievement. He was a recognized educator who was in great demand by the Talmud Torah System of Philadelphia by parents who wanted private instruction of excellence for their children, and by the Folk Shulen, where for years he was both teacher and principal. It is interesting to point out that when he came to America he certainly had a good grounding both in Yiddish and Hebrew. But that was not enough for him. He decided to educate himself, and he became acquainted with the literature and giants of both languages. Thus, in a short period of time he became a true master of the Yiddish and Hebrew languages. This interest took two forms: original articles and translations from Hebrew to Yiddish. As a writer, his articles appeared in the Zukunft, Yiddisher Ketnpfer, Ftvi Arbeiter Shtirm published in South America, among other publications. I especially recall a memorable essay he wrote on Moses Hess with particular emphasis on his monumental work, Rome and Jerusalem. As a translator of poetry, he was recognized as a leading light in this field. For example, he translated from the Hebrew into Yiddish the poetry of Chaim Nachman Bialik, Zalman Schneur, S. Shalom, Shaul Tchemichovsky and the novels of S. L. Blank who, at that time, was a leading Hebrew novelist. Many of his translations of Hebrew songs were rendered by noted artists of the time. In later years, he became an active contributor to the Yiddisher Veit, a daily Yiddish newspaper publ ished in Philadelphia whose editor was the venerable Moshe Katz. He later became the city editor of the Jewish Day in Philadelphia, as well as its drama cntic. So you can readily understand, Menachem Leib, where I derived my knowledge of Yiddish. But what is even more, is my everlasting love for the Lashon Ha Kedoshim. That Is why I have endeavored across these past 20 years to be of help to the Alganemer Journal and to its gifted editor-in-chief, Gershon Jacobson. Since I sincerely believe that one cannot be a total Jew without the knowledge of Yiddish, I hope that when you grow up, you will read my father's writings and that as I have, you will develop a deep-seated love for

this extraordinary language. That is also why I decided to speak to you only in Yiddish; because a child can leam several languages simultaneously. I also hope, when you grow up, you, too, will become an avid reader of the Algemeiner Journal, which I trust will continue to be published at that time. Now in addition to being a linguist second to none, and an inspired educator, my father was always the student — ever with a book in his hand — a student of Talmud Torah, the vast storehouse of Jewish literature, however not to the exclusion of other cultures such as Greek mythology or American literature. In fact at a late stage of his life, he began the study of French. In short, he was a blend and synthesis of both yeshiwh bochurand maskil. This did not, however, prevent him from becoming a great Jewish activist. His passion was Zionism and the creation of the Jewish State. How proud he and my mother, who was a leader of Pioneer women, would have been to see me elected 2-ionaly-resident of the Jewish National Fund, where for some time your namesake served this great cause. In fact, for several years, he traveled around the country on behalf of the Geverksltaften campaign, the fund-raising arm of the Labor Zionist Movement. One story comes to my mind. At that time, the unforgettable Isidore Hamlin was the national director. When Mr. Hamlin asked my father to travel around the country, my father requested that he go by coach rather than Pullman sleeper because it would save expense money and thus more dollars could be sent to Israel. This, Menachem Leib was a real kiddush hashem and an idealism that was and is rare to find. This same activism took on additional forms. When the Hisladrut Ivrit held its convention in Philadelphia, your great-grandfather was the convention chairman.. He was a frequent lecturer at what was then called the Jewish Literary Society — a center for culture, lectures, symposia, with a vast Jewish librarv. 1 remember two special evenings at this Center. When Sholom Asch published the first of lus trilogy on Christianity titled "Mary," my father participated in a debate with a leading Philadelphia rabbi, passionately affirming and showing how Asch committed a great injustice both to himself and to the Jewish people. A second evening was devoted to the famous poem of Tchemichovsky Baruch Mimagentsah. My brother Martin, who Is gifted in so many ways, among them, makeup, made up my father to look like the hero of the poem. The poem I vividly recall is a 32-page creation. My father memorized the entire Hebrew poem and then appeared in costume before a rapt audience of hundreds who devoured every word he uttered. Perhaps that event and many others influenced me to devote my life, not only to religion and culture, but also to public speaking, and to creative programming such as the Dialogues. Indeed, your great grandfather was a charismatic speaker and lecturer who, across the years, delivered many talks on Zionism, contemporary Jewish affairs and Jewish contributions to civilization. A particular favorite subject of his was the Talmud and medicine. What also stands out in my mind were the sermons he delivered on several Sabbaths and Holy Days at my grandparents' synagogue. And how can I ever foiget the creative modem Purim Megillah that he wrote each year for the Moses Hess Camp of Bnai Zion and which was followed by the distribution of Shalach Manos that were appropriately selected to reflect the many personalities who were the recipients each year. The entire Jewish community came to this event, which was marked by great laughter and joy. Recently, Menachem Leib, I saw a rerun on TV of a documentary devoted to the golden era of 'Yiddish theater. As I watched I couldn't believe that I knew practically every actor and actress mentioned. I knew them because of my father's love for Yiddish theater. He not only attended almost every performance when Yiddish theater came to Philadelphia; he also befriended many actors. I want to mention their names because while they may have been succeeded, they have never been replaced, these giants of the 20th Century Yiddish theater. 1 want you, Menachem Leib, when you grow up, to leam more about them. Among others , they include Leib Kadison, Luba Kadison, Joseph Buloff, Isidore Cashier, Michel Rosenberg, Hannah Appel, Bertha Gersten, Jacob Ben Ami, Gustave Berger, David Opotashu, Lucy and Misha German, Lazar Fried, Sam leve, Ben Ari, Ruth and David Ellen, Samuel Goldenberg, William Mercur, Noach Nachbush, Charlotte Goldstein, Ida Kaminska, Seymour and Miriam Rechzeit, Leo Fuchs, Poilishe Bandeh, Ben Zion Wilier, Molly Picon, and, of course, the incomparable Maurice Schwartz. There are two experiences that I associate with this great actor and director. The first was an invitation from Mr. Schwartz to me to play in Tevye the Dairyman. However, the second is of greater import: Maurice Schwartz decided he wanted to visit Israel and present a one-man show. The problem was, however, that he did not know Hebrew. So during his stay in Philadelphia for several weeks, after each performance, he would come to our home around midnight and my father prepared him with a repertoire consisting of poetry by Bialik, Schneur, Tchemichovsky, and the adaptation of I.J. Singer's Yoshe Kaib in Hebrew. I also remember that in the drama called Der Vasser Trvger, Schwartz sat in a loft some 25 feet above the stage and had only to show his face a few times in the course of a half hour. Guess who sat next to him in the loft, teaching him Hebrew? None other than your great grandfather. 7b he continued