Rabbi's Blog

Dear OZ family,

Today would have been Miriam Feig’s 100^th birthday. Miriam gave us Oct. 20^th as her birthday, but she also gave us a date in February as her birthday. She told me once she was born in 1922 and told others a few different years.

Miriam’s story might explain these differences. Miriam’s life was abruptly overturned like so many others during the war. Her parents gave her up to be raised in a monastery to save her life, and that is where she spent her war years. She went from extreme to extreme, as she was old enough to remember her roots, and was raised after the war by members of the Satmar Chassidic community. She may be the only person ever to live in both those surroundings in the same year. I believe Miriam came to this earth in October and was saved from her wartime trauma in February, so she gave two different dates as her birthday.

There may be some elements of Miriam’s past that were not so clear, but there was never any doubt about the fact that Miriam was an incredible Chesed machine. She cooked, shopped, cleaned, and raised funds for so many West Siders over the years, most of whom had no one to rely on but her. She was famous for her red coats, and she loved to distribute candy and lollipops to children and adults. Many of our members were profoundly dedicated to her. She loved shul so much. She would, at the end insist on being taken to shul in a wheelchair, with her oxygen tanks in tow. Miriam was a great inspiration, and may her memory always be a blessing to the people who were so enriched by her.

May the Neshama of Miriam bas Elyakim Getzel Chaim be blessed and may her Neshama have an aliya.

Stay well and healthy.

Rabbi Allen Schwartz    

Rabbi Allen Schwartz

Congregation Ohab Zedek

118 West 95^th Street | New York, NY  10025-6604

Phone 212.749-5150, ext 200 | Fax 212.663-3635

E-mail ras@ozny.org

Website:  www.ozny.org