Dear Norman: Thank you very much for your thoughtfulness in sending me a copy of your recent sermon touching upon the demise of the late President Kennedy. Your sermon was excellent and quite touching. Yet, the heightened solemnity of the occasion in reference to the man, his position, his ideals and his strivings and accomplishments makes language – to paraphrase one of your statements – a woefully inadequate instrument of communication pertaining to the many nuances of feeling attached to this particular situation. Words truly fail here. We are all fine and we trust this finds you, Mindy and the children in the best of health and spirits. With warmest personal regards from all of us, I remain Sincerely, Irving Mehler.

Dear Irving and Bernice: Mindella and I were delighted to receive the Invitation to the Bar Mitzvah of your son Elias. Regretfully, as you can well understand, we shall not be able to attend the Bar Mitzvah personally. But at the same time we will be there in spirit with you. I have always felt saddened by the fact that we are half a continent apart and that I would have liked the opportunity to get to know you better. I feel even worse that we cannot join you with our physical presence at the time of your "simcha." However, we do rejoice in your happiness, and we want to wish the both of you many, many years of undiminished "nachas" and pride as your son grows up into Jewish manhood and becomes a source of pride to his parents and family and people, and achieves gadlut in Torah and wisdom. Our congratulations and our warmest wishes. Sincerely yours,RABBI NORMAN LAMM