Slicha, This will be in English.
Thank you everyone for being here with us. You’ve come from near and far and we all appreciate you being here. I know how hard and expensive it’s to get those last minute plane tickets.
Thank you Stacy, my wife, who has been my rock and supported me through all this and was about to get on a plane and join me. Thank you.
My Dad,
Gerald,
Gerry,
Aba,
Sabi,
Black,
had one thing he wanted us kids to be – and that is RICH.
Not in the monetary sense, although that never hurts, but as an acronym for life –
R I C H – Relaxed, Independent, Caring, Human Being
R for Relaxed
There was always an easy going way about him that made other people comfortable.
I remember when he first met Stacy he asked her very personal questions, but somehow as private as she is, she felt comfortable answering them.
I’m sure many of you know what I’m talking about.
Sometime he took relaxed to an extreme, and never wanted to feel constricted, for example, by having to wear underwear. I’ll tell you more later.
He loved travel and took lots of vacations with family, friends and by himself.
All his kids got that bug.
I have memories of going to the Kruger National Park in South Africa, camping at Achziv beach in Israel, camping along the West Coast in America.
I remember him taking time for himself at the Greek islands or Esalen in Big Sur or going to Kenya on safari with his best friends.
He took my Mom on numerous trips.
Even during his last trip a few months ago to us, he went to Santa Barbara by train by himself to be with Dave. Always relaxed, but ready for action.
What helped him relax was his independence.
I for Independent
My Dad lived life on his own terms
– For him, moving between countries wasn’t a big deal
– Never satisfied with traditional jobs, he carved out a successful business working on his own terms.
– He saw life as adventure, and lived it to it’s fullest.
– He always pursued his interests. Did you know that he invented a board game?
Part of his independence, was his ability to improvise,
like Macguyver.
I have a picture of my Dad and I holding Adam as a baby by the shores of Lake Tahoe. If you look closely you’ll see that his improvised “Bathing suit” is a garbage bag taped together.
The reason that he needed that is related to the previous point of not wearing underwear.
He had a huge passion for Knowledge and read lots of books.
That enabled independent thought, thinking out of the box and not following the crowd blindly.
Being relaxed and independent. Isn’t that enough?
Not for my Dad. He cared.
C for Caring
My Dad was very caring.
He loved my Mom and was a rock by her side.
He was thoughtful of others, almost to a fault. He expected others to be the same and was intolerant of uncaring behavior.
He cared for his wife, kids, family, community, country and the world.
He would always be the first one to help a family member or friend going through a crisis. You could count on him.
He spent an enormous amount of volunteer time with Beit Issie Shapiro. It’s mission of changing the lives of people with disabilities, fit very well with caring and his passion to help others.
For him, please support his passion, Beit Issie Shapiro.
How does one sum this up?
H for Human being
Ben Adam,
Mensche,
Gentelman
Treating other people with respect.
Listening, Interested in other people
I’ve received a lot of emails over the past couple of days regarding my Dad, and almost all mention this trait of just being a BEN ADAM, Menchse.
It’s not hard to understand after Relaxed Independent and Caring, but if there is one thing we remember – it’s that. He was the definition of a Mensche.
R I C H has been passed down from my Dad and Mom to us, his children and has affected the way we live our lives.
He is a huge inspiration that has touched many of us.
We will continue his memory by living RICH.
Thank you