EULOGY GIVEN BY RABBI F. W. ISSERMAN

OF TEMPLE ISRAEL AT FINAL SERVICES FOR

JENNY AUFRICHTIG

January 6, 1935

"What can we say in Thy presence? Are not all the mighty men as naught before Thee, and those of great renown as though they had never been; the wisest as if without knowledge, and men of understanding as if without discernment?" Did not Jenny Aufrichtig utter this prayer regularly in her seat in the Temple: Would she not at this moment, if her voice could again be heard, say Gam Zu Letovah - "Even my sudden passing, hard as it is on my family and dear ones, is for the best, because Thou, 0 God, didst will it?" Such was her piety; such her humility; such her Jewishness.

What a woman lies now stilled in death before us! What a mother! What a personality! What virtues! What ruggedness of character were hers! Our flabby, pampered generation stands speechless in her presence, is pygmied by her stature, shamed by her courage, dwarfed by her selfless service.

She was a symbol of the pioneer, the hardy Jewish pioneer. To these shores she came in the sweetness and innocence of youth, filled with courage and the spirit of adventure. Out of the house of her fathers into a strange land, among strangers who spoke a strange tongue, did she wander. True child of a wandering race! Here she found love end family and fortune. But she never forgot her struggles. Her home was open wide to all who came, she drew no denominational lines. Jew and non-Jew alike received her help. She did not merely give a few paltry dollars. She shared all she had, her hearth, her home. Her door was open to the wanderer. Her roof was ever ready to shelter another stranger. Her energy was ever available to lend a lost one a helping hand.

What a mother she was! All for her children and husband! Her best was not good enough for them. Not to strangers did she entrust their care. But her supreme dedication was to their welfare and to the building of their character. As she watched over her own, so too over others whom destiny brought near her. She toiled and she labored, and she grew in character and nobility.

Her religion was reflected in her life. With a clean conscience she could come before her Maker regularly, and now she can stand before Him with a rich, full harvest, with a record of purity and service.

When she lost her husband, she bowed to God's will and continued to fulfill her mission. We all were beneficiaries of her bounty and generosity. She loved the beautiful in art and in music. She travelled and saw the world. She made friends among high and low. The elevator boy in the hotel, the policeman on the beat, as well as the magnate and executive respected and admired her.

Her life was a victory. It was a blessing to her children and an inspiration to her grandchildren. In her honor we must praise God. Not crushed by grief, though hearts ache, but grateful for this woman of valor, this courageous, pioneer, this lover of humanity, this mother and Jewess who loved and served men and women of all races and creeds. "Give thanks unto the Lord for He is good and His mercy endureth forever."

Eulogy reproduced by kind permission of the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives, Cincinatti Campus, Hebrew Union College, Jewish Institute of Religion.