May Their Memory (Poem)

Gerhard Richter, Kerze ("Candle"), 1983

Oil on Canvas

95 cm x 90 cm

~

Joyce Fienberg, 75

Richard Gottfried, 65

Rose Mallinger, 97

Jerry Rabinowitz, 66

Cecil Rosenthal, 59

David Rosenthal, 54

Bernice Simon, 84

Sylvan Simon, 86

Daniel Stein, 71

Melvin Wax, 88

Irving Younger, 69

Tree of Life, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, October 27, 2018

May their memory be for a blessing.

~

May Their Memory

May they go on

dreaming, these

faithful eleven —

"the regulars"

who opened doors

to one and all,

whose voices stilled

before Shabbat

began. O Tree of Life,

your Star of David

shattered, your limbs

rent in the peril

of prayers unheard.

Let us name them

and remember

the front-door greeters,

the first-to-arrive,

the synagogue-goers

bear-hugging in aisles,

the ones who helped

with everything.

May their memory

be our blessing.

Having seen their tears,

Your sorrow I saw.