Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel

We live less than the time it takes to blink an eye, if we measure our lives against eternity…. Yet, I have learned a long time ago that a blink of an eye in itself is nothing. But the eye that blinks, that is something. A span of life is nothing. But the man who lives that span—he is something. He can fill that tiny span with meaning, so its quality is immeasurable though its quantity may be insignificant.

We gather together this day to pay special respect to a wonderful member of our community, Kurt Sax. Throughout his long and distinguished life he left a lasting impression on everyone who was fortunate enough to know him To paraphrase Psalm 23, “goodness and kindness” followed him all the days of his life.

A SHORT BIOGRAPHY

Let me tell you a little bit about his history;

Kurt was born August 24, 1922 in Vienna, Austria. He was the son of Herman and Sophie Sax.

Kurt faced some major challenges early on in his life. His father, Hermann, had died when he was only fourteen months old. His mother Sophie had the Herculean job of raising a son all by herself.

HOW RUTH AND KURT FIRST MET

Ruth and Kurt were actually distant cousins, and in European countries it was not at all unusual for cousins to marry one another. They met when they were very young; he was 12, she was about 9—and their childhood memories and fondness for one another brought back together years later—after the War.

You see, Ruth’s grandfather happened to be teaching Kurt his Bar Mitzvah lessons, and that is how they met one another! Ruth said that she always knew that she would someday marry Kurt.

THE WAR YEARS

Kurt was a young man in Vienna shortly before the infamous Kristallnacht, the “Night of Shattered Glass.” Kurt recalls how the Nazis made him clean the streets. Just imagine how frightening it must have been to be a young person walking the streets of Vienna or Berlin, when the Nazis looked for any excuse to harass or kill “troublesome” Jews. Seeing the handwriting on the wall, Kurt managed to flee to Northern Italy where he remained throughout the war, while Ruth was first sent to the Theresienstadt; then she was sent to Auschwitz, and then returned to Theresienstadt.

During the War, Kurt had written over 150 letters to possible relatives bearing the name Sax—hand written letters, asking them to sponsor him in the United States, so that he might someday become a U.S. citizen. Bear in mind that there was no Internet, or Facebook, or other social media outlets. When he had arrived in the United States, he had only one dollar in his pocket.

One man named Isaac Potts, sponsored four children—and Kurt was one of them!

For some time after the War, Kurt worked as a real estate broker and had eight agents working for him. Kurt later became a stockbroker where he worked for many decades. Kurt always took interest in his client’s welfare and future—and always acted ethically when dealing with other people’s money.

REUNITED AFTER THE WAR

The War had ended and a relative showed Kurt a picture of “Little Ruthie” who had managed to miraculously survive the death camps. They started corresponding and soon, young Kurt decided to fly back to Czechoslovakia, where they soon met, fell in love, and got married to Bernau, Moravia. Afterwards, he and other family members and friends helped worked to bring Ruth and other relatives to the United States.

Ruth and Kurt lived a wonderful life together. Ruth and Kurt were deeply in love for over sixty-six years. They traveled all over the world, visiting places like Hawaii, Israel, Czechoslovakia, and numerous other destinations. Kurt especially enjoyed visiting the bullfights, an ancient prehistoric sport that has survived the ravages of time.

KURT’S SPECIAL FAMILY

Soon after their marriage, Kurt and Ruth had two daughters—Eva and Sandy. Kurt also had a half-brother named Hansel, who had a son named Steven. Kurt loved his nephew Steven, who was much like the son he never had. Steven used to call up and Kurt and Ruth every day—even to the end. They were a very close knit family.

A FATHER’S GIFTS

When you think about it, our parents give us many special gifts in the course of our lives as children. Sometimes, it takes us many years to recognize the precise nature of these gifts. In the case of Eva and Ruth, each of them received from their father a love for music. Kurt was a very talented singer and musician. He knew how to play the piano, the accordion, clarinet, and saxophone—he played each of these instruments quite well. Eva happens to be a skilled flute player, and Sandy plays the clarinet and the piano as well. Sandy and Kurt used to play the piano together, with Eva playing the clarinet—much to the delight of their friends and family.

Kurt taught Eva her bat mitzvah portion and showed her how to prepare any Haftorah. The love of Judaism Kurt instilled in Eva, inspired her later in life to study for the rabbinate. She is currently in her third year. Eva’s love of Judaism is a living testament to the love Kurt felt for his faith.

KURT WAS A MENTSCH

Kurt always liked helping people in need. You could say that a friend in need was Kurt indeed! Larry, Eva’s husband shared with me something that was especially noteworthy: Kurt treated people with dignity and respect. It didn’t matter whether a person happened to be a CEO of a Bank, or the most common worker—Kurt did not keep a scorecard, nor did he play favorites—he believed in making his relationships with people count. He was a good person.

Mark and Larry also describe Kurt as a people person; Kurt was someone who loved schmoozing with people whenever the occasion presented itself. He could crack a good joke, loved making puns, and enjoyed good humor. When Kurt arrived in the United States, he had spent some time in the South and his pleasant demeanor and love for people became one of his best known qualities.

Kurt proved to be a loving husband, father, son-in-law, nephew, cousin and grandparent to his family. The grandchildren Sam and Max, Amalia, Anessa remember how their grandfather would do a Havdalah ceremony marking the end of the Shabbat, while they held the candle and had a little sip of Havdalah wine and the family Passover Seders. Kurt loved having a full house of family and friends for the Passover Seder.

KURT’S SYNAGOGUE INVOLVEMENT

Kurt was deeply devoted to his Jewish faith; he was very active as a President and lay leader in Temple Beth Shalom.

In the years that TBS struggled to find and keep a rabbi, Kurt basically ran all the services as a lay-leader. Kurt’s love of opera and music could be seen in the way he would chant the Adon Olam prayer, which he sometimes sung it to the tune of Carmen. In his own way, he tried hard to spice up the services.

When the Shul needed someone to train the young people for Bar Mitzvah, he was there. Kurt proved to be a good speech writer, and enjoyed giving a sermon on the weekly Torah portion. He would organize the yearly community Passover Seders and delighted in planning special fund-raising events to bring in income to the synagogue.

One of the most important lessons he inspired young people to view their Bar/Bat Mitzvah training as a spiritual journey, which is actually more important than the bar mitzvah performance and celebration.

I only wish more rabbis had that kind of attitude.

On one Yom Kippur, he shocked the congregation with one of his most memorable speeches: He announced that TBS was for sale. Then he listed the various buildings that the synagogue was going to sell, e.g., the Synagogue building, the Pre-School and Religious School classes, the social hall, and so on. When the members asked him, “Kurt, who’s going buy the buildings?” He replied with a wry grin, “All of you—of course, for without your financial help, we will not be able to keep the doors of TBS open.”

And surprisingly, the people gave … And we are still in business largely because of the contributions this man made; he reminded our community that the synagogue cannot function without the support of its members.

Even after Kurt had his first stroke when he was 83, the synagogue continued to play an important role in his life.

I will never forget how they cared for one another and whenever Kurt received an aliya to the Torah, Ruth stood up with beamed with great pride; Kurt likewise reciprocated by standing up whenever Ruth received an aliya to the Torah. As a new rabbi in Chula Vista, I was deeply impressed by their love and respect for one another.

KURT’S LAST WEEKS

The major concern of the family was that he would die at home; Kurt always considered TBS his spiritual home and he has come back one last time to be with us in his home.

In Jewish tradition, we have a custom of counting the Omer—a period of time between Passover and Shavuoth. Judaism is a religion that teaches us to count and sanctify time. While I was privileged to be at Kurt’s bedside in the weeks leading to his death, I saw something truly wondrous:

Kurt’s daughter, Sandy spent weeks away from her job with Cirque du Soleil and acted as an incredible caregiver to both her father and her mother.

Last week, I remember seeing Sandy davin (pray) with her father, who was already taking large doses of morphine, to lighten his pain. Sandy had him dressed with his Tallit; Kurt wore his Yarmulke, and she would say some of the prayers he loved reciting. She would take a swab of white zinfandel wine and put it on his lips, and make Hamotzi on a chocolate chip bagel. After reciting the Adon Olam, he whispered, “Amen.”

Within a half-hour after the Shabbat had begun, he expired—just as he had hoped he would—on the Shabbat.

Here is a poem I slightly paraphrase, so that you might appreciate the bullfight as a metaphor for the brave soul, who finds himself confronted by the challenges of life:

The Matador (by Steve Reeve + slightly paraphrased in honor of Kurt Sax)

In the rage of the noonday sun,
In a suit of glittering light’s He comes,
To face death,
Leaving the crowd, with bated breath.

He stands erect and proud,
His name the aficionados shout out loud,
“El Leon, El Leon—Kurt Sax!”they cry,
And wonder if today, will he die.

The gate is open, the bull is out,
Six hundred kilos without a doubt,
El Toro spies the man,
the bull will kill Him if it can.

With graceful movements He swings His cape,
Leaving the crowd with mouths agape,
Standing steady and skilled throughout the years,
This Matador has conquered his fears

El Toro moves in for a kill,
For the mob it is such a thrill,
It’s horns pass within an inch,
And El Leon Kurt Sax thought this would be a cinch.

The crowd does frown,
For the old El Leon Kurt Sax is down,
But wait He rises,
And everyone surprises.

And now the ultimate thrill,
El Leon Kurt Sax has decided, the kill,
El Toro face’s the final part,
As the Matadors sword pierces his heart.

He was brave, He was strong,
The crowd moves forward as one,
“El Leon, El Leon, Kurt Sax!” they cry,
We know you will never die.