Hasses aren't only avocados.

Mater: Baruch Dayan Emet

Posted by Pater , Tuesday, February 26, 2019 11:05 PM

Dear Avocado Juniors

For the second time in the ten years that we have been writing this blog, we find ourselves sad and at a loss for words as we mourn the passing of your much loved and now much missed grandfather.  Thankfully, you all got to meet and spend time with him, and we give extra thanks to God that Pater and AJ2 were able to celebrate his 80th birthday in London with him the week before his passing.  There are so many things we want to tell you about him, too many for one blog. Instead, below are some pictures of him over the years, with his family, with his sons and with you all, as well as the eulogy your father gave before his burial.

May his memory be for a blessing for you, your father and uncle, and all of Israel.
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My late father was born in 1939 in Yaroslaw, South Eastern Poland, the youngest of 10 children.  After the partition of Poland, my father's family escaped to Lembourg, or Lviv in modern day Ukraine, and from there to Siberia, where they survived the Shoah.  After the war, my father returned with his family to Poland, spent some time in Paris and then traveled with some of his family to London, where they settled in Golders Green.  My father was schooled in Stamford Hill, before spending 5 years in Gateshead Yeshiva and a year in Ponoviz Yeshiva in Israel.  My father always remembered his yeshiva days fondly, though he also said that in addition to Gemorah, the two things he learnt in Gateshead Yeshiva was how to play ping pong and how to hide money in the turn-ups of his trousers for sneaking out to the cinema.  In addition to his rebellious streak, my father's love of Torah and deep faith in God are two aspects of his life that I carry with me.  He often quoted his late father as saying whatever you do in life, always make sure you give kovod, respect, to the Borei Olam, the Creator.  
My 7 year old son and I were fortunate enough to be with my father last week, celebrating his 80th birthday, and on our final visit, he took great pleasure in teaching us Torah.  He asked the famous question as to why the Torah doesn't start with an Aleph, the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, but rather with a Beis, the second letter, as in Breishis Boro Elokim - In the Beginning God created etc. He quoted the Midrash Tanchuma that Baruch, Blessed, starts with a Beis, whereas Arur, Cursed starts with an Aleph. So we don't want to start the Torah with a letter associated with the word Arur, Curse.  But, asked my father, why not give the alternative answer passed down that Aleph was used instead for Anochi HaShem, I am the Lord your God, in the Aseres Hadibros, the Ten Commandments.  His answer, as were many of the answers to my father's questions, was Teiku, the legendary riposte that all questions will be answered by the Prophet Eliyahu in the Messianic era.  However, on this occasion, my father added one further point - perhaps alluding to his limited time left.  He said that when he gets to Heaven, HaShem kivyochol will tell Eliyah Hanavi the answer to this question, and Eliyahu HaNavi will tell my father.  But, said my father with a smile, if he isn't happy with the answer, he's going to tell Eliyahu Hanavi to get a better answer!
After Yeshiva, my father enlisted in the 6 Day War under Moshe Dayan, who he remembered meeting.  In fact, when he told the story, he always mentioned meeting Yael Dayan as well, who was a journalist at the time and was very pleasant to the soldiers under her father's command.  I once mentioned to my father that Yael Dayan did not have the best reputation for her relationship with the religious world and my father commented that "your problem is, that you're too chareidi"! And that also exemplified my father - he always appreciated the good people did for him, no matter what they did in later life, and never criticized others.
As I mentioned, I was blessed to spend last week with my father, belatedly celebrating his 80th birthday.  I asked him if he was happy and he answered of course.  In fact, every week, when I spoke with him and asked what was news, he would answer that no news is good news.  My father had so much to complain about.  He suffered under the Nazis, Communists and for the last 30 years, ill health.  And yet I never heard him moan about his fate in life.  Rather he epitomised the important concept of Sameach B'Chelko, content with his portion in life.

Finally and maybe most importantly, my father loved his family, he respected his family and he considered his family the most important part of his life, whether it was his parents who he revered, his siblings who he always deferred to (especially his much loved twin)...
...his sons who he was always proud of and considered his greatest achievement...
...or his seven loving grandchildren.  In fact one of the last things he said to me was to tell his grandchildren to take care of each other and love each other always.
There many important lessons I learnt directly or indirectly from my father over the years,  but these are the ones that will stick with me for the rest of my life and will hopefully be the ones I successfully impart to my children.  Take care, dad.  I hope you finally get all the answers you were looking for and please know that we love you and will miss you always.

Pater: Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner (and now AJ2 is as well)

Posted by Pater , Wednesday, February 20, 2019 11:25 AM

As Hubert Gregg once said, maybe it's because Pater's a Londoner that he loves London so.  But what's AJ2's excuse?  On our recent trip, Pater noticed that AJ2 definitely got a funny feeling inside wherever he went, just walking up and down, so maybe he became a Londoner and that's why he loves London town! (If you don't know the song, little of the above will make sense, but you get the idea). 

Of course, there may be some other, more obvious reasons for AJ2's sudden love for London.  Like the view he got across this most beautiful of cities from the London Eye...

...or maybe, just maybe, it was the amazing once-in-a-lifetime experience he had at Chelsea Football club with a VIP tour in the morning...

...followed by meeting the players and a great game against Manchester United in the evening...
...or maybe it was all the travelling on London's antiquated transport system (awake and asleep)...
...or possibly hanging out in Pater's old haunts...
Nah, it was none of those.  AJ2 loved London because he got to spend some really great quality time with his Grandpa London, who turned 80 this month. Grandfather and grandson had a great time chatting and ganging up on Pater!

 Of course, as much as Pater and AJ2 are Londoners, our hearts are really in Toronto, as we quickly found out when we flew home...