Meier/Max
Funeral speech 17/11/2020
With today
being Rosh Chodesh, we aren’t supposed to give a hesped, though I am told we
are allowed to say our goodbyes. So here is my goodbye. Meier, or Max as you
later preferred to be called.
As the older
brother living far away since you were about 5 years old, I got to see and
experience you much less than the rest of the family. I don’t have nearly as
many of those daily stories and memories of your booming voice, your contagious
smile, your infectious laughter, and your adventurous attitude.
But we did
have the pleasure of hosting you a lot when you spent 2 years in Israel in
yeshiva and then again when you came back for nearly two years as a volunteer
in the IDF, along with other family visits at other times.
When you
were in yeshiva you brought us the goose after rescuing her from the lively
yeshiva boys and their Purim prank. You brought her to us as a baby. She became
our pet and around 3 years later, after learning shechita together, we also
enjoyed eating her together.
You came by
often, usually whipping out your harmonica or guitar to concoct some crazy and
whimsical song for the kids, or sitting with them and telling them your new
versions of the family stories of the man with the golden arm or blackie the
goat. If you weren’t coming to us, you were out exploring Israel and meeting
new people. Like the taxi driver that invited you to a Moroccan Rosh Hashana
dinner and then wanted you to marry her daughter.
Goodbye
Meier. Goodbye Max. Our lives were that much richer for having you in them for
the past 35 years, and that much poorer for not having you in them any longer.
I just want
to finish by saying something we tell our kids regularly. Life isn’t fair. Just
standing here today is evidence enough of that. But that’s not what I am
talking about. We get to mourn our brother, our son. We have spouses and family
and friends who knew Meier and loved him just as much and sometimes for nearly
as long. They mourn Meier, or Max, but unofficially. While they mourn, the
burden of keeping everything going falls on them, in addition to being there
for us emotionally. Thank you Shifra, and Leslie and Ron and Rachel and all the
kids and cousins and friends, for being there, for keeping everything running
and for your love.
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Thoughts are with you and yours.
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