Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will recount it to thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee. (Deuteronomy 32:7)
This organization shall be known as HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF JEWS FROM EGYPT, and not of Egypt or of Egyptian Jews, but FROM EGYPT
Eulogy for “Baba” Amin
by his son Elie Kheder
April 9, 2006
On behalf of myself, my brothers and my sister, I want to thank everyone for being here.
We are here today to pay our last respects to our father. The thought of just giving a Eulogy has added additional weight to the emotional load we are already carrying, but Baba is gone and I am expected to deliver a Eulogy! I am also supposed to make my words loving; tasteful and unforgettable … Very few people can successfully accomplish that.
We have much to be thankful for. Today Baba is happy now with the Lord; he will reunite again with our blessed Mama his companion for 64 years, his parents that he always honored and his loved brothers.
He lived a life of faithfulness and fidelity.
It has been said that the loss of a parent is one of life’s most traumatic events. I know the devastating truth of that statement when we lost Mama. I have been told that in time, the hurt will fade, only to be replaced by positive memories that soothe the soul, and memories we have got plenty of it, things that we will always cherish and will never go away. Although he has gone on, he will always be there in our hearts.
Baba was a strong man with a lot of pride, a stubborn person of devotion and integrity, he never had the advantage of a high education, yet he knew a remarkable amount of knowledge. He was a wise man, a man who understood a hard day’s work. He worked pretty much his entire life. Dad liked the simple things in life. He really wasn't interested in fancy stuffs. He prided himself on taking care of his family.
Baba never had a lot of money, but he was the richest man I have known for his love and devotion to his synagogue. Working at the temple in his early life was one of his enjoyable times regardless on how difficult the tasks were. He also gave me a wonderful beginning of my faith in God and my religion. He always wanted me to practice it no matter what, I thank him for it. Without my faith, prayer and an active relationship with God, I couldn't feel the peace or security that I can feel in times like this and at other important times in my life.
He always tried to keep me on the straight and narrow path even when I didn't want to be on it.
I believe Baba got what he wished for. He was strong and able until the day he passed away and at the place that he loved most, his temple.
Dad always had an opinion about everything, he loved as strongly as he disliked, and you were never in any doubt about where he stood on any issue.
Those of you who knew dad in healthier times would agree that he was not an easy man to live with or perhaps love, the times and places that shaped Dad were painful and graceless, his life during the depression, his life in Egypt and loosing his savings were hard and unforgiving, Dad never complained; he kept his dignity right to the end, he was not a saint, but he lived a rich, full life.
My Dad had old-fashioned values never cared for fame or glory, but he was successful, successful at achieving what was really important to him, and despite the fact that our Dad never achieved great fame, there is no one who could have made me prouder to have called him "Baba."rogress