Vignettes of Ira, Characteristic of Ruth July 19, 2008
Posted by admin in : Ira, Ruth, Testimonials , comments closedFreda Birnbaum, New York, NY
Vignettes of Ira
Ira was a man of many quotations. He would sprinkle them through a conversation to light up a subject or clarify a point in a rather impressive way. I relished the way he dipped into his memory bank and came up with an apropos quote.
Sometimes Ira would take off on a subject about which he was passionate and go on and on and on, little tuned in to the capacity of his listener to grasp what he was expatiating upon or promulgating. It was all so clear to him, and I could be left behind befuddled in the intellectual dust clouds he had bestirred.
Ira and I talked every day in the last couple of months of Ruth’s life. When I asked Ira one evening how he was doing with sleeping, he said that if he had any trouble falling asleep he recited the Gettysburg Address to himself. Before he reached the end of it, he’d be asleep.
A Characteristic of Ruth
People talk at funerals about “a woman of valor.” I think of Ruth as “a woman of fervor.” She was fervent about what she didn’t like as well as what she did like. Often her warm excitement about a musician or a political commentary was contagious so I’d find myself wanting to hear the artist play or to read the brilliant analysis of the admired thinker. Her eagerness to share her experience was intense.
Uncle Ira July 19, 2008
Posted by admin in : Ira, Testimonials , comments closedMichael Lipschutz, Radnor, PA
We had some wonderful interactions with Uncle Ira and his family over the years, but unfortunately fewer than we would have liked because we lived in Indiana for 43 years (plus Bern, Switzerland, and Tel Aviv) until May of this year. One of the most recent, and therefore the freshest in our recollection, occurred about two years ago, when he and Ruth visited us for almost a week in Indiana. The purpose of the trip was to go to Springfield, Illinois, to visit the new Lincoln Museum and Library, and see other sites there, associated with Abraham Lincoln.
As most of you may know, Ira was particularly passionate about Lincoln and his deeds. To be able to show Ira and Ruth the house and neighborhood where Lincoln lived, his law office, and his personal possessions was the greatest of privileges. It was fascinating and truly moving to hear Ira describe Lincoln’s actions and decisions, as we were surrounded by Lincoln’s physical and spiritual possessions.
When my wife Linda photographed Ira beside Lincoln’s life-sized statue, we almost felt that the two were meeting. And that would have been a meeting of two equally great minds.
Hello friend! July 15, 2008
Posted by admin in : Uncategorized , comments closed
Hi, I am Ira Gollobin and I approve of this web site.
Let me be clear about where I stand on some issues. Although you might be misled by the statement above into thinking that I am running for President of the United States in 2008, let me assure you that I am not.
From my current vantage point, I see that Barack Obama and John McCain, both of whom expect to be nominated as their party’s candidate for the Presidency, are busy putting their stamps on ads being broadcast in these United States. They both say at the end of the ad: "Hi, I am (fill in the blanks) and I approve of this message."
I will have none of that. I can’t. You see: I hover above all of these rituals. I have done so throughout the 97 years I spent on earth, thanks to my parent’s upbringing and my own discoveries as I grew up, mingling with the common folks who through their sweat, blood and tears, have built these United States into the most powerful country of the 20th century.
I regret that I can only be with you in spirit throughout the 21st century. I hope you will accept my generous offer of things learned and practiced in the last century and allow me to continue living vicariously through you.
Here, on this web site, you will find things written by me and about me. Take as much of it as you wish to. No one will mind (I certainly won’t). Use as much as you can. Question it. Discuss it. My wish from where I sit is that you make the best of it as you connect with the good in all of us, regardless of color, origins, language, culture, and beliefs.
I have been and remain a humble student of Abraham Lincoln who was perhaps America’s greatest president. He is known for many things. His achievements are extraordinary. His intellect? Superb! He has blessed us with many insights. As I take leave, I leave you with this one:
Let not him who is houseless pull down the house of another, but let him work diligently and build one for himself, thus by example assuring that his own shall be safe from violence when built. — Abraham Lincoln
May you be the best that you can be.