“Sadly…there is a cycle of life in Judaism”
What a month November was! I have learned as I grow older, things don’t always go the way we think they are going to turn out. Take for instance the passing of Dr. Steven Feller. He was
an active member of Temple Judah, former board member and past president. He would help Barbara with children’s services each year and worked with many of our Temple’s youth. Also, Steven was a well-respected Coe College Physics professor and researcher who touched many students. He slipped away after a difficult surgery and was swiped from my friendship in the snap of my fingers. I can’t tell you what a void the passing of my friend will be. We had come to enjoy our monthly dinners to far off supper clubs and hole in the wall restaurants in search of epicurean delights (for Steve, mostly prime rib). What I will miss the most is our deep discussions in the car on the way to our adventure. Talk of childhood games like stickball and flipping cards back east (he grew up in Brooklyn, I on Long Island), our love of baseball (we were both diehard Yankee fans), and just random discussions about our experiences in life and where it has led us!
A year ago, this past October, he called me on a Tuesday night and asked if I would like to go to a World Series game at Yankee stadium. I was gob smacked…a lifelong dream come true. The kicker was that it was the following Monday night. Through his network of former students, he had secured tickets to the game. He also was going to book the flights leaving the next Saturday with his milage he had saved up and I would reimburse him for the costs. Not only that, but he also arranged for us to stay with one of his childhood friends in Westchester, NY…a short train ride to Yankee Stadium. If you knew Steve well, you would surely understand his unbelievable, almost tornadic ability at organizing events down to the last detail. As we spoke, he also brought up eating at the Second Avenue Kosher Deli. It took me a few minutes for this to sink in. I needed to take the time off from work and more importantly see if it was OK with Terri for me to go. As I was listening to him describe everything on the phone, being caught up in his enthusiasm for the trip, I blurted out …”Why don’t we see a Broadway play on Sunday afternoon?” He said what a great idea and I volunteered to get the tickets. Except for the Yankees losing the game, it was a great trip! In the course of 3 days, we ate at a Kosher Deli, a wonderful Italian restaurant in the Bronx and a really good Greek restaurant (besides having a hotdog at the stadium…but it wasn’t as good as the hot dogs they have at the Kernels stadium). I couldn’t thank Steve enough for including me in this trip of a lifetime!
In Judaism, we talk about life cycle events. They are a series of religious and cultural rituals that mark significant transitions from birth to death. This includes birth, bar/bat mitzvah, marriage, and mourning. On the same day Steve died, I received a text from my cousin kvelling he was a new grandpa. Then, the day of Steve’s burial, Zachary Fourier began his Bar Mitzvah journey. And speaking of this event, it was a wonderful weekend, and Zach hit one out of the ballpark (As Steve would have said)!
I know, I know, I mention this every month…but I really believe it! I always keep in the back of my mind that, as a member of Temple Judah, we are all one large family. We come together to celebrate wonderful occasions like Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, Bat and Bar Mitzvahs, baby naming’s, conversions, high school graduations and marriages. But we also support those who are ill and sit shiva with our members who have lost loved ones.
Please join the Temple Judah family and do your part and contribute to keeping the flame alive and burning bright. Don’t sit on the outside, looking in. Participate!!
Brian D. Cohen
President