Chevra Kadisha
Help! Stop Already! by Henry Muller
Unfortunately, I have to report that the Chevre Kadishe has been very busy of late. Beginning last November we have lost six members and past-members which is an average of one a month. We have now had enough for a long, long period so I hope you will give us a long rest.
On the positive side, I am glad to report that our Chevre Kadishe has added several new members to carry on the tradition.
We unfortunately lost Mrs. Lilly Herzog, our oldest member, at the age of 103. This broke the proud claim of being a five generation family for the Mullers, and to illustrate how rare this phenomenon is, one has to visualize that one of my grandchildren has to become bar or bat mitzvahed, then get married and then have a child before the Mullers could again become a five generation family.
Also sadly missed will be the “Eyshes Chayil” of our community, all of whom had moved to Toronto. Eva Kaminsky, Ruth Silvan and Bessie Levine will be greatly missed by their families and their friends “back home”.
We also buried our friend Benny Kaminsky, Although not a great shul-goer Benny lived his whole lifetime in Niagara Falls, mainly around the Centre Street district. The “Cellucotton” wouldn’t have been the same without Benny, and all his friends will miss him.
Lastly, I am sorry to report that we lost one of our finest and most steadfast members, Irving Feldman. “Truly a fine gentleman” is the way he is described by his friends and acquaintances. Irving had no enemies, only admirers. Everyone liked him and loved him. He was held in equally great esteem by the gentile community, his service club friends, his poker partners, his hospital board cohorts, etc. Irving was always on the go- golfing, lunching or partying. He made friends at every turn with his wonderful dry sense of humour and a joke for every occasion. The Tuesday night poker club never has a game without someone saying, “This one is for Irving.” Every Saturday that he was in town he made it a point to be part of the Shul minyan. He is missed not only by his family but by all his fellow congregants and wide circle of friends.
For many years our Chevre Kadishe has upheld the true ritual of a Holy Society. We take our obligations seriously and with deep emotion. Since a time of death is a very difficult one for the family of the deceased, it is our aim to ease that pain and try to alleviate the burden of making the funeral arrangements at a vulnerable time for the bereaved. We hope that we have achieved that goal as we strive to integrate the tradition of our forefathers into our modern lifestyles.
