We had the honor of attending a very special wedding on Sunday night. The event took place in Los Angeles and we were part of the ceremony here in Teaneck, thanks to the beauty of technology at Care One, where Mrs. Mina Rabin Katz was able to watch her grandson tie the knot via Skype. Mrs. Katz had purchased a ticket to fly to Los Angeles months ago, and did not anticipate that she would experience a severe fall at her son’s home in Boston. Mrs Katz, who turned 90 years old several months ago, required surgery and then a rehab stay at Care One.
Though many people would have been angry about their misfortune in this type of situation, Mrs. Katz is special. We have known her for many years and understand why she was able to resign herself to the fact that she would attend the wedding via Skype. Our love and respect for this lady is difficult to explain. It goes back many years.
Steven (Simcha) Katz, her son, and Mordechai have been childhood friends from their growing up days in Boston and attended each other’s Bar Mitzvahs. They finished Maimonides in Boston and went on to YU. When Steve ran for student council president at YU, Mordechai was his campaign manager.
When we got married, the elder Mr. and Mrs. Katz made us Sheva Brachot in Boston–and there is so much more binds us to this special lady. Her history is quite remarkable. She, her husband and their young son came here from Europe after the Holocaust. She watched her family disappear from her life and continued on despite it all. Only at her 90th birthday celebration did she mention that she believes that perhaps due to her training as a nurse in Europe, which allowed her to save many lives during the war, Hashem gave her many years.
Sixty years ago, when the family arrived in Boston, Mrs. Katz immediately began to work in nursing homes. She was constantly concerned that residents be fed properly, as she had experienced severe hunger in her life. Never in her presence, she said, would that happen again.
We can learn many lessons from this special lady! Her intelligence shines through like the warmth emanating from her smile. She looks around and appreciates the bounty of wonderful blessings which she has in the form of outstanding children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. We watched her great-grandchildren with their arms around her. She treats each one of them as though they are the only one that she has. She knows which school, which activity, and what their everyday activities are. She centers on others and not on herself. When we visit with her, she makes us feel as though we are also her children and, without our own mothers, we have come to think of her as the mother figure in our lives. We only wish that one day we can have the grace in our older years that she shows to everyone around her.
For the occasion of the wedding, she wore the dress she would have worn to the ceremony in Los Angeles. Everyone who came to celebrate with her at Care One, including her wonderful companion Tina, wore wedding finery. Food was served, flowers were present and we even managed to dance to “Siman Tov” to totally ensconce her in this simcha.
This silver-haired lady is one we should all aim to emulate. We are blessed that she is a part of our lives. We honor her family for the regal way they cater to her. May her beauty continue to grace us all; Bubbie Katz we love you.
By Rabbi Mordechai and Nina Glick
