Thank you for joining us this morning to celebrate the birth of our daughter. She is named for two remarkable women we lovingly called Grandma. Chava Leah is named for my maternal great-grandmother Eva Getzler and Joe’s paternal grandmother Betty Feldman, whose Hebrew name was Leah.
When I first sat down to write this speech I was flooded with many emotions and wonderful memories of my Grandma Eva, and it was difficult to organize and articulate my thoughts. My great grandmother was a remarkable woman, who was resilient, smart, funny, artistic and incredibly proud of her family. She was blessed with a long life, and the zchus to meet Gabe and Jack, two of her great great grandchildren. As a child, I always loved going to visit Grandma – everything in her apartment seemed fun and exciting. I loved looking out the window overlooking Central Park, playing with the metal cash register and poker chips, and having her teach me to draw flowers and people at the card table in the living room. When we wanted a drink it was served in a yartzheit glass or an old Dannon yogurt cup. I always loved wandering her apartment looking at all the sforim that belonged to my great grandfather, or the numerous sculptures and paintings she had made. As I grew older, I looked forward to sitting and talking to Grandma who always took an active interest in what was happening in my life. As Grandma grew older, those talks were moved from the living room to her bedroom. As her hearing and eyesight declined, I was always able to tell the point at which she realized I entered her room. As I got close enough for her to see or hear me, her whole face would light up, and I knew she was as happy to see me as I was to see her. Grandma always loved hearing what was happening in my life and reporting with pride what our cousins were doing. As a young child it did not seem remarkable to have Grandma in my life, but as a young adult I realized what a special gift it was. She taught by example the importance of having a good attitude and sense of humor about life’s challenges. Grandma was raised in a shtetl in Poland called Tczyn. She was educated and knew many languages because of multiple moves during World War One. In 1929, she left her young son, my Grandfather, and came to the United States and worked with her husband to raise money and bring over my Grandfather and her two sisters. The rest of their families –parents, siblings and cousins, were killed in the Holocaust. My great grandparents eventually were able to live comfortably on the Upper West Side, but Grandma always remained frugal –reusing scraps of paper, plastic containers, and repairing clothing and objects. She was a hard worker and was a modern day feminist who bought The Feminist Mystique for family and friends when it was first published. In naming my daughter after my Grandma, I hope she inherits her wisdom and wit, her love of all people, and the charm that made people love her.
Grandma Betty Feldman was the quintessential grandmother. Although she only had five grandchildren, she was called grandma by almost everyone who knew her. Grandma was constantly concerned about those around her, making sure we were dressed warmly enough and comfortable. She loved to contribute her baked goods to a family gathering and took an active interest in the lives of her grandchildren and their friends. Grandma Feldman, like her Biblical namesake Leah, took prayer very seriously. Although she did not understand Hebrew, she prayed every day. Even at the end of her life when her eyesight was very poor, Grandma’s commitment to prayer did not falter, as she sat squinting over her worn siddur, trying to make out the letters and words. Grandma loved to be with family and friends. As her hearing deteriorated and she was unable to follow a conversation, she still took pleasure in sitting with the family, watching her grandchildren and great grandchildren interact. She grew up as Elizabeth from Elizabeth to a family of Russian immigrants, and became the first woman from her family to graduate from college in 1936. She married Joe’s Grandfather Joseph Feldman in 1942, and raised her family in Elizabeth where they were very active in the JEC. Later they moved to Chicago where she became a schoolteacher. I only knew Grandma Feldman as a woman in her 90s. But I was always impressed by her resilience and energy, her rich storytelling, her pride in her work as a teacher and her delight in the accomplishments of her grandchildren.
When Joe spoke at Grandma’s funeral in February he concluded by saying he felt sadness that Grandma would no longer be around to share future smachot. We hope that by naming for Grandma, our daughter will bring Grandma’s spirit to all future smachot in the family.
I want to thank my in-laws for opening their home to host us all this morning. We are blessed to have all four of Eva’s grandparents and 2 of her great-grandmothers celebrating with us today. We thank all of you for your love and support and look forward to sharing many more smachot together ad mai’ah v’esrim shana.
