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Correspondence

Nov. 20, 1966

Letter from Dr. Kisch about R. Lamm's Eulogy for a Brother (1966)

Eulogies & Memorials
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Outline

Eulogy for Dr. Hyman Kirschenbaum (2000)

Tu B’Av = semi-holiday; required not over-indulgent expression of sorrow. I and my wife knew Hy and Judy >40 years. Admired him for his professional competence, humanity, family, Yiddishkeit. Born London, Ont.; public school; Western Ontario Medical School. Yiddishkeit – from intensely Jewish home; father taught him. Major part of career – BIH, neurosurgery. Intensely devoted to patients; his surgery saved thousands; not only professional care, also personal attention... Patients = humans... רופא נאמן / רופא רחמן... so: imitatio Dei. Humble: never affected by professional arrogance, though earned undying gratitude of patients and their families. When federal anti-religious cuts impacted kashrut in 1981, recall – Hy was outraged. Fought at the peril of his own career, but never relented until he won. When Russians came to New York – spared no effort: classes, lectures at BIH, highest pass rate – all free. Continued several years. Honored often – awards, plaques, etc., loved and admired – yet never sought such rewards. Passionate for honor, not honors.Three anomalies:Died of an aneurysm – the very condition he so often treated. Very busy surgeon, yet always made time for the family he loved. We take leave of him in sadness... on a happy day in the Jewish calendar. Mishna at the end of Taanit: לא היו ימים טובים לישראל כט״ו באב וכיום הכיפורים שבהם בנות ירושלים יוצאות וחולות בכרמים. Such contradiction! But see it as part of the progression – Tu B’Av → Shabbat Nachamu – Tu B’Av with its theme of shidduchim, marriage, children, family = continuity of Am Yisrael.So, no anomaly: today is a Tu B’Av; but be confident – eventually נחמה – and then, his family will continue in health, strength, and devotion to his ideals. The grandchildren he so adored... will live, achieve, and be a blessing to Hy’s memory. In your sorrow, know consolation will come – and then... for generations.
Eulogies & Memorials

Speech

Eulogy for Ludwig Jesselson (1993)

There were no eulogies spoken at Luddy Jesselson's funeral, because it was the eve of Passover when Jewish law forbids excessive mourning and therefore prohibits eulogies; hence this memorial meeting assumes double importance, and the moving tributes we have heard this afternoon are all the more meaningful. Yet, despite the absence of formal tribute at that time, there were eulogies offered for him. As I walked with and through the throngs that came to honor him, from Presidents and Prime Ministers and professors and communal leaders to the most ordinary of ordinary folk, I heard comments that came from the heart, with an eloquent simplicity born of honesty and pure respect and gratitude for this unusual, historic personality. In effect, therefore, there must have been several hundred private eulogies—all of them sincere, heartfelt, and heart-warming. This formal event is in the nature of a public confirmation—a collective "amen"—to those spoken that dark day in Tel Aviv, and in the homes and hearts of thousands of individuals around the globe.And all these tributes were and are offered not because Luddy needed them for his reputation to be secured, but because we need them to satisfy our own need to be humbly grateful to a humble and great man.I got to know Luddy and Erica best when I came to Yeshiva University as President over 16 years ago, and found Luddy as a Trustee and later Chairman of the Board, and Erica as an indefatigable leader of our Museum and an advisor on most other aspects of university life. But I remember them when they were first courting—I was a youngster then. How impressive Luddy was! He was a conservatively dressed but dashing young man, with a diamond tie pin in his perfectly tied tie, the same kind of up-turned brim on his hat that he always favored, a benign but highly intelligent smile on his face, and speaking convincingly and brightly and with good humor on almost any topic. These characteristics hardly changed in the course of the de…
Eulogies & Memorials

Speech

Eulogy for Prof. Bruno Kisch (1966)

I confess that I am unequal to the task that has been assigned to me this evening. This feeling of inadequacy derives from my conviction that it is psychologically disturbing, logically absurd, and even spiritually sacrilegious to speak of Prof. Bruno Ksich in the past tense. I have not yet reconciled myself to the idea that he is no longer with us. I recognise it as an objective fact, but I cannot accord it subjective validity. For Prof. Kisch, despite his outward serenity, was a man of great vitality and possessed a restless mind that ranged over the whole spectrum of human endeavor. Here is your text with all odd characters, broken symbols, and unnecessary punctuation removed, while keeping the original wording intact:This restlessness and vitality was evident to anyone who entered the home of the Kisches — and I had the privilege of doing so several times, although, alas, all too few. Books were stacked high on all walls of the room. On one wall one could see an ancient set of the Talmud, which bore signs of constant and regular use. On another side of the room, one could notice rows of cardiograms strewn amongst the tomes of venerable philosophers of all ages and lands. Here there were sheets of music used by Mrs. Kisch, there there were works of art, and yet in another corner ancient coins. What dynamic cultural interests were reflected in this home! One rebels against the idea that this home has now lost its head and its pride: the scion of a great rabbinic family of Prague and Zurich; the husband of a distinguished lady, his beloved wife, who is an accomplished artist in her own right; the brother of one of the most eminent Jewish historians of our time; the father of children who themselves are carving out careers in science and the advancement of culture.Dr. Kisch was a Renaissance man. His virtuosity was amazing. In an age when specialization means, almost as a logical corollary, general ignorance in all but one area of knowledge, he specialized in an as…
Eulogies & Memorials