In memory of my grandmother, Mrs Betty Weiner

This past Wednesday Sep 10^th / Elul 10^th my dear grandmother, Mrs. Betty Weiner, passed away at the age of 89 leaving behind children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  In light of this I have decided to dedicate this week’s email to her memory and share a few thoughts about her life.

My grandmother was born on August 20^th 1919 to her parents Mr. & Mrs. Aby & Rosa Devorah Gold who had immigrated to England from Russia. She was the middle sibling of her older brother Israel Gold and younger brother Sammy Gold.

My grandmother lived in London during the German Blitz of London and had her share of scares and scars. On one such occasion she was lucky to escape with her life when her house was the last house left standing in a row of houses on a London Street following a German bombing raid. During another raid her brother’s home was bombed and he lost his first child.

Following the war she married my grandfather Mr. Alec Weiner who had served as an anti aircraft gunner during the battle of Britain, and together they began to raise their family in post war Britain. They subsequently had two children my aunt Francis Cohen and my mother Mrs. Helen Freeman, in later years they were blessed with five grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren.

As grandchildren we all had an exceptionally close and warm relationship with my grandmother as she was a very warm person who was very involved in our lives.  She took great delight in the addition of each new great grandchild. She always expressed interest in our family events, our children, our special occasions, our successes and more. For example my grandmother could always be counted on to send a personalized birthday card with a warm message for each of our birthdays year after year, she would also always show her pride and pleasure at our various accomplishments and achievements. My grandmother derived tremendous pleasure and Nachas from her children and their families, and she would always convey her unique feelings that she felt to each one of us.

Personally I feel very blessed and lucky to have had her as my grandmother and for being able to have her enjoy our own children and families. Just two weeks ago I took a trip to England to visit her and to introduce her to one or two of her great-grandchildren that she had never met before. Despite her being in hospital and in pain she still was able to enjoy those special moments with them and enjoy their laughing, their songs, their hugs and kisses, and  their celebrating her birthday with them.

When it came to Jewish life, my grandmother was an extremely proud Jew, a deep believer in G-d, and a committed and dedicated Jew. Less than two years ago when my grandmother was already 87 she would still walk every Saturday to the Synagogue to participate in something that she valued so much. My grandmother transmitted and implanted her strong Jewish feelings in her children which have since blossomed into generations of committed and proud Jews.

Thus as our family remembers and misses our grandmother, we will always recall her dignity, her mentchlichkiet, her Jewish pride, the many special Shabbos meals and Seders we shared together, and the hundreds of special moments that we each treasure and value. As I stood by her graveside and said goodbye, I felt a hole and numbness from the loss, yet at the same time I felt a sense of pride and inspiration from the life that my grandmother led.

Yehi Zichroh Baruch VeTehei Nishmasa Tzerura Bitzror Hachayim, may her memory be blessed and may her soul be bound up in the bond of eternal life. I know that this Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur my grandmother will continue to advocate on high on behalf of her family that she loved so much, and in her own way she will continue to care for each one of us.

Her grandson,

Yisroel Freeman

Postscript

In Jewish tradition the soul of a person is eternal, thus the actions that we do in honor of the deceased are a tremendous memory and tribute to the soul of the departed individual. In light of this we have decided to hold a Munch & Learn this coming Thursday evening September 18th at 8pm which will be a discussion group focusing on questions about the High Holidays, its relevance in today's age, and your questions.

Please let us know if you can come by emailing us at [email protected] or calling 978-443-0110