Eulogy for Minnie Etra (1999)
I never knew anyone who lived so long – and so well – as Aunt Minnie Etra. She was an extraordinary woman – comely in appearance, becoming in attitude, forthcoming in charity, who lived the Maimonidean ideal of moderation. Yet she was a very strong person in her principles, unshakable in her ideals, unassailable in her values, one who considered her Jewish commitment inviolable. Aunt Minnie was American-born, and almost lived through three centuries. Her parents, especially mother, were the greatest influence in her life. Her brothers, Charles and David Greenbaum, were respected members of the community. She and her sisters constituted a remarkable threesome; they shared many characteristics in common, yet each specialized in a different מידה or attribute. My late mother-in law, Tillie Mehler, ע״ה, personified the trait of faith (אמונה); Pauline, the surviving sister, embodied the quality of hope (בטחון); and Minnie was preeminently the woman of charity. (צדקה). Together, they constituted Faith, Hope, and Charity. Yet Aunt Minnie possessed much of the other two properties as well: her faith was deep and pure, and her hope suffused her with optimism. No wonder that when her niece Judy Goldman, ע״ה, asked her what she wanted for her 90th birthday, she replied, "What I really could use is a new set of luggage." Indeed, she knew she'd achieve great longevity: at her 100th birthday party she said she didn't think that 100 years was so extraordinary, and she pointed to the photo of her grandfather on the wall, and said, "That's impressive – he lived to 106!" And, indeed, she just about made it to 106. Her husband, Bernard, a scion of the well known philanthropic Etra family, died in a car accident at the age of 29, leaving her a widow of 23 and the mother of their only child, Morty. Aunt Minnie was thus the last of the senior generation of this distinguished family. To Morty, who passed away a few years ago, she bequeathed a legacy of personal goodness, sympathy, and fri…
