February 25, 2025
by urjtbs •
Dear Temple Beth Shalom Congregation, we learned last night of the recent passing of Mrs. Adrianne Sundheim, a cherished member of our congregation and wife of Rabbi Frank Sundheim, who served our synagogue 12 years ago or so. You might remember Adrianne was a dedicated teacher for decades and a potter, and we still enjoy the use of the kiddush cup she made at our Shabbat services. She was a dear friend of our Rabbi Herzfeld, and he will be one of the rabbis acting in her funeral. There will be a memorial service for her at Schaarai Zedek on Friday, February 28 at 11:30 am. May her memory be for a blessing.
The young child asked, “Where is Grandma?”
And the adults gasped
Not knowing what to say
Certainly not in the earth
Buried, covered over with soil and small rocks
Certainly not in the heavens
Distant, far off, a fantasy of the imagination.
Much closer than earth, much closer than heaven
Grandma, dear child, is within us all.
In our memories of her kindness and goodness
Memories that are not faint echoes but resonate in us each day
Grandma is in our tenderness with each other, in our loyalty to family
For friends, in our love of our people.
Nothing noble dies with death.
Warm embraces, wise counsel do not
Evaporate into the air.
Grandma is not “where” but “when”
Whenever we gather together to celebrate festivals
Whenever we offer help to the poor, the homeless, the sick
Whenever we defend the innocent
Raise our voice against injustice
Grandma’s influence is present.
Grandma stood for ideas and ideals
Grandma stood for care and concern and comfort of the other. What she stood for we now stand for.
Even as we rise for the Kaddish
In her memory,
In her honor
For her immortality.
Rabbi Harold Schulweis
Baruch Dayan haEmet: Adrianne Sundheim
February 25, 2025 by urjtbs • Community
And the adults gasped
Not knowing what to say
Certainly not in the earth
Buried, covered over with soil and small rocks
Certainly not in the heavens
Distant, far off, a fantasy of the imagination.
Much closer than earth, much closer than heaven
Grandma, dear child, is within us all.
In our memories of her kindness and goodness
Memories that are not faint echoes but resonate in us each day
Grandma is in our tenderness with each other, in our loyalty to family
For friends, in our love of our people.
Nothing noble dies with death.
Warm embraces, wise counsel do not
Evaporate into the air.
Grandma is not “where” but “when”
Whenever we gather together to celebrate festivals
Whenever we offer help to the poor, the homeless, the sick
Whenever we defend the innocent
Raise our voice against injustice
Grandma’s influence is present.
Grandma stood for ideas and ideals
Grandma stood for care and concern and comfort of the other. What she stood for we now stand for.
Even as we rise for the Kaddish
In her memory,
In her honor
For her immortality.