Hazak Hazak
At Touro Synagogue
December 22, 2018
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This Shabbat I was honored with the 7th aliyah. It was the Hazak aliyah. We finished the book of Bereshit. It is customary to rise when we finish a book in the Torah, (Jim Herstoff gave us the signal by banging his fist on the bimah) and recite, “Hazak hazak venit-hazek” (Strong, Strong, and may you be strengthened).
During the procession to return the Torah to the ark, Rabbi Marc Mandel paused and said, “Your aliyah, the hazak aliyah, was very important. When you write about today for Jewish Newport, I want you to write about Hazak, Hazak.” It is unusual for anyone to suggest what I write about.
I had to think fast, since I didn’t know what might be said by Rabbi Mandel.
This Shabbat was also the day to celebrate Eleanor Meierovitz Davis’s 100th birthday at Touro Synagogue. Eleanor was there, along with her son Bob, and many extended family members. Her son Michael was unable to attend. The Davis family sponsored the Kiddish.
Eleanor is noted for her outspoken manner and distinctive voice. If she is in the room, you know it! I heard her when she walked through the gate, and gladly ran out to assist her on the way to the balcony. This was not difficult. Eleanor was her usual self. “High as a kite” comes to mind.
Prior to Shabbat, Bob Davis wrote to Rabbi Mandel: “I am sorry that the wandering Jews, Saul Woythaler and Susan are once again seeing the world first hand. Saul, Stanley Light( who came from MA, the occasion) and I were the three Jewish amigos through Hebrew school, junior and senior high school, and URI. We were Rabbi Lewis’ designated minyan makers for the Ahavas Achim shul (long story). We made music together for many years.
“I know Jim Herstoff will be there along with Aaron Ginsburg. What you may not know that that each was the pride and joy of Rabbis Lewis and Katz as students in the Hebrew school and both went on to honor the memory of those two great men by being outstanding Jewish men, serving the congregation and in Aaron’s case, Jews who have passed and deserve to be remembered in their hallowed resting place.”
My parents were close to the Meierovitz-Davis families. After attending shul on the evening of a Jewish holiday, before going home my father, Maurice Ginsburg, took my sisters Judy and Beth and me to visit Eleanor’s unmarried sisters, Bertha and Mollie, who lived behind their grocery store and green house on Van Zandt Avenue. The Davis family was always there.
During my time at Thompson Jr. High School, Eleanor worked in the library. Although I don’t see Eleanor often these days, when something is important in my life, I make a point of letting her know.
Eleanor and Seymour, z’l’ were both very helpful to my mother, Dorothy Pokross Ginsburg. Bob Davis wrote, “Aaron, Judy and Beth please remember how much I loved Mr. & Mrs. G. They were a wonderful couple and were loved by all especially the Meierovitz family. Dorothy’s passing left a hole in my mother’s heart which has never been filled. Their nightly calls were a tonic to both of them. It was a pleasure being with Aaron this weekend. Your notes to her are in the album that Meagan put together for mom and she treasurers it.”
Eleanor’s granddaughter Meagan Davis put together a memory book for Eleanor that has 110 notes from her family and friends.
Stanley Light recalled, “Mrs. Davis arranged for Salty Brine, a TV personality from WPRO in Providence, to come to Newport. There were two hundred people at the Coggeshall School. It was impossible to get close. My first opportunity to meet a celebrity looked like a bust. Mrs. Davis spotted us and called out in Yiddish to my mother, ‘Go to the side door!’ Soon out came Eleanor, Salty Brine, and his dog Jeff.” Stanley was beaming! Jeff did not make the newspaper article, but we know what is important.
Rabbi Mandel greeted one and all, and gave short words of Torah, and of Eleanor,
“Parshat Va'yechi is a reunion of Joseph's family in Egypt, and this coincides with the Davis family, and the community of Newport having a reunion in honor of Eleanor's 100th birthday.
“Today we finished the book of Genesis and said Hazak-be strong. Eleanor is the perfect person to teach us how to be strong, since she has shown great strength during her 100 year life journey."
Next Bob Davis spoke from the Bimah, “Rabbi Mandel, you’ve done an A plus job describing something I felt but could not put into words. Your message was spot on. We should all consider ourselves extremely blessed when we are born with two parents. Parents and extended family guide us and provide us with an education and a pathway forward in leading a fulfilling Life. In our case, a life built on the tenants of our faith in doing mitzvah.”
Bob then thank Jim Herstoff and Captain Howard Goldman for the honors that the family received, and then went to his prepared remarks.
He thanked the Rabbi and the Presidents of the congregation for the opportunity to speak and gave a shout out to this writer for “Keeping us expats informed on the teachings of Rabbi Mandel on a weekly basis allowing us to feel connected to our roots.”
“The Last time I addressed the congregation was June 11, 1960, when I said, ‘Today on my Bar Mitzvah.’ Over the years I have been on this platform for some of the happiest days of my life. On this very spot I was married to my wonderful wife Susan, under a Chuppah whose new cover was donated by my family as a memorial to my late aunt Mollie.
“Thirty-one years ago, during a Shabbat service we named my eldest daughter Josepha Havah. Twenty-seven years ago we did the same for my youngest Chaya Tybeleh. Today clearly is one of the happiest moments in our family's history when we have a chance to celebrate with the congregation this august moment when the 7th child of Samuel and Celia Meierovitz reached 100 years of age. So, to begin, please join me in reciting a truly joyous blessing “Baruch …”
“Like most Newport Jewish families, ours was created by my great, great grandparents on the Meierovitz side arriving from what is now the Ukraine and my great grandfather Kosch arriving from Hungary. Adolph Kosch became the sexton of the congregation (I have no idea what that title implied). My Grandparents, Samuel and Celia stood with others to prevent the New York congregation from locking the building up.
“In addition, my Mom, and our entire Davis Family take great pride that my father, the NY interloper, became the President of the congregation and served for a number of years in that capacity. So you see why being here today is so special to my mother.
“I thought I would share with you some reflections that came to me about Birthdays and Time knowing that we would all be together in this truly special place to the world and our beloved country.
“I assume that in August of 1790 our first President, George Washington stood where I am standing, gave one of the most powerful speeches given by a US President on Human rights. As a little kid, I always felt that this moment in US History was very far away from my own reality. As I grew older I realized that the timeline between that day and myself was short indeed. 100 years passed from when he uttered ‘the United States gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens, in giving it on all occasions their effectual support.’
“In 1891 my great grandfather Adolph Kosch arrived in the US from Szeged, Hungary. His daughter Celia and John followed afterward as did his first child from his second marriage (my great grandmother died in childbirth in Hungary). My grandmother who was a young woman who landed in Philadelphia but was soon summoned to Newport to bring up her half brothers and sisters. Somewhere along the way she met my grandfather, Samuel Meierovitz and married him. Their 7th out of 8 children was Eleanor Dorothy Davis, who was born on December 21, 1918. As we know she has now lived 100 years.
“So, stop and think about the timeline. In just two of my mother's lifetimes we are back to good old George on our Bimah. I would say That is actually a very short time.
“My second reflection goes to many of my contemporaries who are here in shul today. We were all born after WWII, baby boomers. Most of the folks who fought in that war have past. They fought against HATE and bigotry. My mother has lived through WWII, The Korean War, The Vietnam War and two Gulf Wars. I assume that my father felt that he put his life on the line in the shark infested waters of the South Pacific to put an end to the root causes of war. I am 71 and so in just that amount of time it seem the Western World has forgotten what pushed the buttons of nationalism, hate and genocide.
“One has only to look at the paper daily to see the rise of anti-Semitism around the world. What seemed like a long time ago has turned out to be just a brief moment in time before old ignorance raised its ugly head again. George Santayana as we are often reminded said, "Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” I will leave you to draw your own conclusions.
“Two years ago, Susan and I stood looking in horror at the mass graves located next to the great synagogue and at the sculpted bronze shoes lined by the Danube River in Budapest where what was left of the Hungarian Jewish population was disposed before the allies arrived. It gives our entire family much pain knowing that both Hungary and Russia have condemned themselves once again to relive History.
“I have learned that in life happiness many times is bracketed by sadness. As Jews we have learned to enjoy the good times like today but also accept sadness as an essential part of life. It is ironic that today our family says Kaddish for Samuel and Celia's second child, a daughter and my mother's sister Bertha Meierovitz, Shayna bat Yisrael, may her memory be a blessing.”
Shabbat Shalom
And Shabbat Shalom from Jewish Newport!
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