Another great man of the 20th century Albert Einstein wrote this about man, the world and God in 1940, when Bill Goodman (link to Obituary) was 23 and no doubt paying close attention to the words of a fellow German Jew of similar widely ranging intellectual and political interests and aspirations,
“In their struggle for the ethical good, teachers of religion must have the stature to give up the doctrine of a personal God... In their labors they will have to avail themselves of those forces which are capable of cultivating the Good, the True, and the Beautiful in humanity itself. “The further the spiritual evolution of mankind advances, the more certain it seems to me that the path to genuine religiosity does not lie through the fear of life, and the fear of death, and blind faith, but through striving after rational knowledge. In this sense I believe that the priest must become a teacher if he wishes to do justice to his lofty educational mission.”
Were those an inspiring message to a young man, or did Bill simply find support for his already developed inner passions and beliefs? I wish I had asked him last week.
Aside to Rabbi: so perhaps Bill became not a Rabbi, but a teacher none the less.
For the Nemerson family, these few lines capture well the wonderful man we remember today, Dear Bill, Billy, Grampa:
He Searched for the Good and the True.
He strove for rational knowledge.
He sought to share his life with all of us.
And He always saw Beauty in Humanity.
I especially want to open by thanking the Goodmans: Louis, Michael, Kitty, Douglas and Susie for sharing your father with my mother and welcoming all her family into yours.
It is a matter of fact that Bill’s belief that his life must be shared to have meaning, opened the door -- at a time of loss and grief for all of you -- to a great and wonderful decade of happiness and love between Bill and my mother,
his and your acceptance of our family and that willingness to share which he tried to instill in everyone around him,
gave my family the opportunity to truly become members of the Goodman clan and to see and enjoy your patriarch in his glory.
That Bill not only embraced Vivienne but everything and everyone she brought with her was life changing for her and us.
For me there was something wonderful in having a father figure with so many common interests – the yankees, city planning, the gossip of Connecticut political backrooms -- dropped perfectly formed into my life at age 40. Much simpler that way than dealing with him when I was 13 I am sure.
And the Family extended beyond the Nemersons. Marian’s father invited Bill and Vivienne on the Chertow family National Park’s tour in 1999 and when Bernie was too ill to travel, Bill was there to help fill a huge void in her life.
Watching and seeing how Bill faced his final weeks, I imagine that as my teenage daughters come to grips with the concept of eternity and finality it will certainly Bill’s face, words and actions that helps guide their way.
About how few can we truly say, do as they do.
So please Indulge our memories and let me close with a brief list of what was so remarkable and unique about this man:
That strong New York voice, with its Midwestern certainties and Broadway delivery.
dayenu
That kvelling over grand and great grand children and your knowing as the parent that he knew everything that your kid was doing, even if you did not.
Dayenu
That pride and excitement he had in the greatness of the underdog and the unexpected but deserving victory: Tiger, Venus, Marian Anderson, Obama. Okay, maybe not Tiger.
Dayenu
The distrust he had for those who misused power and office, and contempt he had for those who resorted to violence, arrogance and prejudice to get their way.
Dayenu
The respect and interest he had for the waitress, the cab driver, the employee, the victims and the needy.
Dayenu
The sharing of kindred ideas when he would call early on a Sunday to remind you that you just had better read Frank Rich or Maureen Dowd right now.
Dayenu
The taking to heart of Burke and Santayana’s admonition that if you don’t know history you will be doomed to repeat it, as Bill kept Jefferson, Lincoln, WWII, FDR, Truman, Johnson, Civil Rights, Javits, Ribicoff and Bailey fresh in all our minds.
Dayenu
The trips, the Bridge, the golf, the 7-Ps, the getting the suitcases from the attic, the maple syrup and the legs of lamb.
Dayenu
And two final things, the sense that I always had that – more than anyone I will ever know – that when 92 Year old Bill Goodman looked in the mirror or closed his eyes to go to sleep I just know he saw and felt he was still a 30 year old guy stepping out into an amazing and anything is possible world and who was that fellow in the mirror…
And that no matter what tragedy, inhumanity, bad lick, disaster or incomprehensible evil he came across in those 92 years, Bill Goodman believed in his and especially in all of our capacity to make the world a righteous and better place through just one more act of kindness, of charity, tekkun olom, the offer of a hand up and most important of all, by never, never, never letting the bad guys get you down or make you feel that what you felt in your heart was wrong.
Now, I know that Bill would at this point in the program raise his hand – wave it in the air from the front row and then say, “okay interesting speech, times up, can we please eat lunch now?”
God bless you Bill, no human is perfect, but you were perfectly human.
Matthew Nemerson for Vivienne, Andrea, David , Marian, Cindy, Kenton and our children,
March 2, 2010
