Distinguished Community Service AwardMr. Harry Varon - 2007 Recipient
Speech Given by Mr. Harry Varon Honored Rabbis, Mr. President, Family and Dear Friends, I feel greatly honored and humbled to be chosen as this year's recipient of the Sephardic Bikur Holim Distinguished Community Service Award. I personally feel that there are so many more deserving people for this award – but they chose me, and believe me, I am truly grateful. I feel an overwhelming void in my life, if only my dear wife Rachel was here next to me, then I feel you had really made a choice that was most deserving. She raised our family seven days a week and still had time to spend many hours helping the synagogue. I would come home at 10 or 11 at night and she would always wait to eat dinner with me. I told her she should eat with the kids, but she didn't want me to eat alone. My thoughts are with her today as they are every day and may she rest in everlasting peace. I also want to mention my dear brother Leon who I miss so much. Not only was he my baby brother, but he was also my best friend, my business partner, bridge partner and my financial advisor. He left me way too early, but if I know my brother, he's probably organizing a bridge table right now. May he, too, rest in everlasting peace. Being mechanically minded, I would like to credit my long life, and my attachment to Sephardic Bikur Holim, much like a car battery to an alternator. Without being spiritually connected on a daily basis I could not exist for any length of time. I need to be recharged daily in order to keep up my strength. Similarly, just like the hood of the car protects everything beneath it, I feel totally protected by Hashem every time I cover myself with my Tallit. Talking about Tallit, that reminds me of a joke - A man took his Tallit to the cleaners and was told to come back on Thursday to pick it up. He returned on Thursday with his number for pick up. The cleaners brought him his Tallit and told him that will be $50.00. "Fifty dollars! Why so much?" asked the man. The cleaners said, "Do you know how long it took us to take out all the knots?" I want to welcome my son, Jack, and my beautiful granddaughter, Rachel, from Teaneck, who flew in today especially to honor me. Boy, Jack, this is probably the most you have ever spent to go to a dinner. I really appreciate it. I want to welcome Eli back from Israel. We missed you Eli, and I am happy to see you sitting at a table for a change, instead of working in the kitchen. Eli, you are sitting, aren't you? I want to thank all of you who took the time to come and help me celebrate this honor, because without you I would be up here talking to myself. I want to thank Rabbi Benzaquen and Rabbi Maimon for their kind and meaningful words of praise and I will continue to try to live up to them. Rabbi Frank Varon for his beautiful musical presentation and humorous anecdotes. My son Jack for his loving words and memories. Our MC Simon Amiel for his terrific wit and a job well done. I want to thank Katherine Scharhon and the Ladies Auxiliary for the terrific Kiddush they put on for me yesterday. I also want to thank our President, Robert Gladstein, for all his hard work in making this evening one that I truly appreciate and will remember with gratitude for the rest of my life. Last but not least, I want to thank Diana and all of Robert's helpers, too numerous to mention by name, who have done so much behind the scenes, in order to make this such a beautiful evening. May we all continue to live in good health, so that we can come back next year to honor the next lucky honoree. Thank you
|
| To send an e-mail to SBH click on this link All Rights Reserved © 2008 |
|
