Dear Shaare Family,
This week, we marked the passing of both Helen Biderman and Max Glauben, two legendary local Holocaust survivors. Sadly, these losses heighten for us the reality that we are living in the final generation of Holocaust survivors, and that for many of those who are still with us, life is once again uncertain. Read this article about Ukrainian Holocaust Survivors who are fleeing to Germany from their war-torn homes, and for whom the call of “Never Again” rings both hollow and urgent.
One of the themes Max always stressed in his public talks is the importance of acting like a mensch, with kindness toward others. In this vein, I wanted to make you aware of an opportunity to perform an easy act of Chessed.
Lianna Saiman was young girl from Philadelphia who displayed unusual kindness and remarkable creativity. She loved to write and illustrate stories, and the theme of many of these was kindness. Her sudden passing in February, just shy of her eighth birthday, leaves an unfathomable void in the hearts of her parents, my friends Didi Saiman and Sheri Adler, her twin brother Adir and her younger sister Naama. As a way of memorializing her, and perpetuating her legacy, her parents began the Lianna Saiman Kindness Project. The idea is that we- and our children- should perform acts of kindness, and then write about it, sending what we write via snail mail (NOT email). Please view the attached flyer for more about Lianna, including information on where to send the letters. In addition to perpetuating kindness in a world that seems increasingly cruel, this will provide some measure of comfort to a family suffering through an unspeakable and incomprehensible tragedy.
May we only share good news and happy occasions.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky
