eulogy for my father 12-03-2014

8/12/2019 Eulogy for My Father 12-03-2014

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Eulogy for my Father: 12 03 14

1 Introduction: Haim

Baruch

Weiss

We have gathered here today, wife, sons, grandchildren, relatives, neighbours and friends to honour you and to thank you for your contribution to our lives and for the person that you have been.

2 Chapter 1 The First Appearance of Death: At a young age when the early signs of the spring of your youth were flowing into your being and while other boys at this stage were just starting to discover the other gender, you and your family were taken in the most devastating way to the death camps. Your innocent eyes have seen sights that human eyes should have never seen. Your father and mother, your sisters and brothers were sentenced and transported to death. Few are those who could withstand these sights and keep their sanity. Death surrounded you hour by hour day by day for a long time. But you held Death’s stare with fortitude and Death could not overcome you. With the strength of your inner life and the power of your belief, you and your brother Avraham survived the greatest hell that humans have ever inflicted upon each other. Some decades later I requested, without being fully aware of the difficulty of the task, that you will relive these tormented experiences when I asked you to write down your 2nd World War story for school work that I was preparing about the Jewish holocaust. And you, with no hint of hesitation, sat down with a piece of paper and started writing. You wrote in Hebrew clear, beautiful and correct. Hebrew that would make any native speaker proud. You told your story just as it had happened. My teacher awarded the highest mark for this work and for many weeks we read chapters from your story aloud before the entire class. After the war ended you managed to come to Israel, joined a boarding school – Mikveh Israel and started a new life.

3 Chapter 2 – The Second Appearance of Death: You joined the army for your military service and shortly after, you meet a young and beautiful girl who was serving in the same army base. Without thinking too hard, you asked for her hand in marriage. But months after this, you fell sick with a life threatening disease. You were hospitalized for a very long time and had to undergo surgery. During your life you went under the surgeon’s knife more times than one can count on two hands. Here too Death tried to hunt you down but you held its stare with fortitude and Death could not overcome you. After your recovery, you started building your family. You had children, took a mortgage and worked incredibly hard year in year out. You excelled in your work and progressed quickly. These were hard days of just scraping by and you worked more than one job at the same time. I recall trying to stop myself from falling asleep as I waited for you to come home from working overtime

at

the

Israeli

National

Insurance

Institute

where

you

worked

the

majority

of

your

working

life. You always brought me little presents from the office to make me happy.



From the debris and ashes of your past, you emerged with determination, commitment, and hard work, building a firm foundation for your life and your family. Many people sought your aid during this time of your life and you were always willing to share yourself and your time to help them.

4 Chapter 3 – The third appearance of Death: This time Death appeared before you from an unexpected place. Avraham, your beloved and close brother died at a young age. Your companionship and your march together through the horrors of the death camps had bonded you as one. I felt your immense sorrow as if part of your own body was torn away from you. But once again, you did not waver and held Death’s stare with fortitude and Death could not overcome you. Over the years you saw your entire family and relatives depart this world and you remained, the last beacon.

5 Chapter 4: Many times I wondered where you drew your strength from. The answer was clear. You crystalised in your inner being a stubborn and unshakeable belief in the Creator. One day I challenged you when I asked you: How can a person who has experienced so much sorrow and loss, not lose faith or at least have doubts? You replied that there is no room for doubt and that God helps those who help themselves. This was another amazing side to your character. You never grumbled or complained about what life had dealt you. You loved life and didn’t expect life to love you back. Another pillar in your character was your Jewish heritage. You saw it as a great honour to be part of the lineage of Cohens (holy priests). Judaism was your guiding light that you sought to imbue in your sons and family. The synagogue, holiday rituals and blessings have been for you a source of belonging, continuation and an indelible well of strength.

6 Chapter 5: Your love for humanity was an integral part of who you were. In every place and situation you acquired many friends and were always loved by all. You were always ready to give of yourself, whatever was needed, with no reservation. I remember you would go out of your way, many times during your work hours, to find this or that electronic part that I needed to complete a school project. You ferried me around for years to whatever activities, sports and hobbies that I was into at the time. You were always sensitive to other people’s needs. Even at the time when your health began to deteriorate and despite your own discomfort, you asked us to do what is best for us first. You have embodied many eminent qualities in your being and they shimmer like pearls before all those who have encountered and love you, demonstrating a high degree of human accomplishment that only very few attain.



7 Chapter 6 – The fourth appearance of Death:

Death that had always threatened you, reappeared before you, but this time it was different. The terrible and cruel death that had haunted you at every twist and turn of your life, now became your greatest blessing and liberator. This time it released you from a failing body, pain, physicality and the troubles of this world and allowed the pearls of your life to shine forth in a great light and to ascend and join the creator. I always felt proud to be your son and proud that you are my father. The creator is rewarded now with a steadfast, determined and loyal warrior and we too salute the fruits of your life. Haim Baruch Weiss May Your Memory Be Blessed Tal Weiss Israel 12/03/2014

eulogy for my father 12-03-2014

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