The sudden and tragic loss of Nick’s passing, has left us all feeling shattered and heart broken. The real question we must be asking ourselves at this time, is how are we to come to grips with the traumas and reality of our loss and move on forward? The most powerful link between the generations is the tale of those who came before us and the lessons which we take from them. Uniquely, Nick taught us that be a Jew is to recognize the importance of handing on our ideals to the next generation, and thereby enable them to build an even better future.
Nick’s ethos was never about himself but the good of others, but rather always about the self sacrifice towards others. His life involved harboring eulogy virtues as opposed to resume virtues. The difference between the two is what transforms us from being exclusively focused on self generated interests which are the resume virtues, as opposed to being focused on the collective for the common good of others, namely the eulogy virtues. The Jewish world that we and our children will inherit tomorrow, is born within the schools and Shuls we build for them today. Nick was passionately committed to ensuring the survival and continuity of Judaism within Norwich. So too, let us remain passionately committed to keeping Nick’s Ner Tamid “everlasting light” alive by ensuring that we have a weekly minyan in place to recite kaddish in his memory, I would urge those who perhaps don’t attend our services regularly to do so every now and then. This would serve as the greatest mark of respect to Nick, aside from ensuring that our service keeps going and growing.
Daniel Rosenthal