Skip to main content

Loss of a leader

I'm in Cleveland this week visiting family.  Last night, we got an automated call from the local synagogue. Rabbi Dessler had passed away at age 90.  The Hesped was this morning in Cleveland and the funeral will be in Israel Tuesday night at 6:15pm at Shamgar in Jerusalem.

Rabbi Dessler was a pillar of this community.  His children spoke about his midos, his personality.  He was a very quiet man who never raised his voice and worked to maintain control at all times.  All this was true, but that is not what I recall.

My first recollection was as a student in the Hebrew Academy of Cleveland.  Rabbi Dessler was the principal of the school.  He was GOD.  We saw him here and there, but he was a busy figure.  I had the luxury of visiting his office a number of times due to my propensity for annoying and aggravating my teachers.  Rabbi Dessler was always polite, spoke quietly and pretty much let me do what I wanted.  Who could ask for anything more!

Seriously, Rabbi Dessler created the Hebrew Academy.  His thesis was that every Jewish child deserved a Jewish education, regardless of how they dressed, how their parents behaved or whether they had a TV in their house.   Rabbi Dessler implemented this model for more than 60 years.  To this day, the Hebrew Academy will accept anyone.  If you don't have money to pay, that's ok.  Somehow a grant can be found.  The most important thing is to be inclusive.

My sister was very ill as a teenager. Rabbi Dessler and his wife were at her side and with my parents.  My family was not particular close with the Dessler's, but because my sister was a student, the rabbi and his wife took it upon themselves to become involved.  They organized the school so that someone visited each day.  They turned a bad situation into one of support and education for everyone involved.  My parents received much needed comfort and support during those trying times.  My sister got better, but we will never forget the kindness of Rabbi Dessler and his wife.

May we remember Rabbi Dessler and learn from his examples.

Comments

Bruce Krulwich said…
May his memory be a Blessing.

Or better yet, an example!

Popular posts from this blog

A change of pace (Kidney Failure)

I have been trying to keep this blog focused on hospitality and food.  God though has other plans for his creations and I find now that I will have to expand the scope to cover new topics.  I'll try to continue blogging about my menus and our guests, but expect more posts that have little or nothing to do with food. In February of this year, My second oldest son, Asaf was diagnosed with Chronic Renal Failure. Simply put, both his kidneys are damaged and scarred from some infection or defect that happened years ago.  They will likely cease to function sometime within the next six months. The good news is that there is no immediate danger to his life.  Kidney Dialysis is a viable option and can maintain his health for up to ten or more years if necessary.  Unfortunately, the process is not easy and there are potential side effects. Given Asaf's generally excellent health and age, Kidney Dialysis is considered only a stop-gap measure and not a long term solution. The best solutio

Unusual pesach meals part 2: Zupa Chrzanowa

What was I going to do with the horseradish root that I used for the pesach seder?  5 inches of spicy goodness.  Then I found this recipe for Zupa Chrzanowa,  Horseradish soup. I tried to keep close to the version in the link.  I made my vegetable stock from kitchen leftovers, carrot peels, onion skins, the green parts of leeks, celery and artichoke trimmings.  All parts that I would usually just throw in the trash.  They too contributed to my cooking today. Ingredients 1 carrot diced 1 stalk celery diced 1 onion diced 5 inches of horseradish (2 in diameter) grated 1 large potato diced 8+ cups of Vegetable stock 2 Tbsp olive oil Instructions Saute the carrot, celery and onion in hot olive oil until soft Add the diced potato, grated horseradish and vegetable stock (or water) simmer for 1-2 hours puree using an immersion blender or food processor Serve hot Update: Major failure.  The soup came out very very bitter and I'm pretty sure the culprit was the vegetab

TX +2 days

The transplant was on Monday afternoon. As I write this, its Wednesday afternoon. Call it 48 hours since my son received his new kidney. My wife and I are taking shifts at the hospital. She had the first night, I had the second. Tonight is her turn again. I just got back from the hospital and that's why there have been no posts. There is no Internet in the transplant ward. Medically, my Asaf is doing VERY well (as is the donor). When we went in, Asaf's creatinine level was about 6.4 mg/dL (GFR: 12). It means that his kidney was pretty much not doing anything. Today, we got the latest results. His new creatinine is 2.03 mg/dL (GFR: 46). That's better than my own and almost in the normal range (0.9 - 1.2 mg/dL). Each day its getting better and better. What this means is that his new kidney is working! He is able to eat a normal meal and is no longer on a restricted diet for kidney disease. This is great news! Our next hurdle is to make sure that his body does not reject the n