Learning Responsibility from Rachel Attie Gindi, by Eli Harary

Over the course of the Days of Awe, different members of our community taught us about people in their lives who embody certain middot, or character traits. As part of our communal study of Musar, or character development, we are focusing on responsibility, or אחריות this month. These are the words that Eli Harary shared about his grandmother, Rachel Attie Gindi.                          --- Rabbi Brent Chaim Spodek

My mother's parents, E.J Gindi & Rachel Gindi were amazing people. They were both born outside the US and migrated to the US as young adults. They both  worked very hard, were quite clever and inventive, and were very successful financially. 

Grandma Rachel Gindi, in addition to helping Grandpa run their business, raised their four children, my mother being the oldest, and was a published gourmet Syrian cook, and boy, let me tell you, her food was amazing, it was so good that it made us kids look forward to the Shabbat & Holiday meals at their house, where the 20+ family members would gather for all Holiday meals, and although she had full time help, when it came to preparing and serving  meals, it was always, just her, delivering the food to the holiday table. In her mind, feeding the family was her responsibility, and covered all aspects, from snipping off the ends of the string beans, to scooping out the inside of the zucchini, to make Mechshi, a Syrian dish stuffed with rice and meat, sweetened with apricots, and she took that responsibility quite seriously.

They were both very devoted to their very traditional Sephardic Jewish heritage & life, and were staunch supporters of the young state of Israel. With my grandfather being a student of Kabala, they would travel to Israel for at least 3 months every year, so that he could join a study group there.

So that devotion to Israel set the stage for Grandma Gindi’ s most extraordinary feelings of responsibility to the new country and its people. As philanthropists, they had made significant contributions to Jewish Institutions in the US and in Israel, and were in fact, one of the main sustaining Contributors to the University of Judaism in Los Angeles, now called the American Jewish University, and were always entertaining and hosting local students, local Rabbi’s and Israeli dignitaries & head Rabbi’s.

But then, in June of 1967 came the 6 day war between Israel and its neighboring Arab countries. And, although Israel defeated the countries that attacked them, there were of course, many Israeli soldiers that suffered injuries and were hospitalized.

Well, immediately after the war concluded, Grandma & Grandpa flew to Israel and Grandma proceeded to spend the next 4 weeks visiting injured soldiers in every hospital in the country. Her purpose was to comfort them and do what she could to help them, their wives and families. She felt a very strong “responsibility” to help those that defended the country that she loved so much.

So in order to help them, she would in many cases, meet with wives to find out how THEY were doing, and I remember reading a letter to her from one of these women, thanking her for helping their family of 5 by going out, in the town they lived in, and buying them a refrigerator full of food, and bringing it back to the woman’s apartment personally.

In another instance, I found out she had actually gone out and arranged for a new washer and dryer to be delivered to one struggling family. I am quite sure that if she could have carried it herself, she would have.

Now, as a charitable & giving person, she clearly could have simply given money to a general fund, but, she felt it was her responsibility to use her good fortune to go out personally and help these wives and families, considering the hardship they were going through for protecting the State of Israel.

In my humbler opinion, Grandma Gindi, felt a responsibility to these people and went way, way out of her way to fulfill the responsibility she felt.

This is just one example of her fulfilling her responsibility to those she cared for. She was a famously strong willed (an understatement) and charitable woman, and she acted on her care and responsibility towards her fellow man, regularly.

Grandma May you rest in peace!

With love,

Your Grandson Eli David