For Belle: A Letter From The Chairman

Tonight is a hard night for me. Tonight is the first night, that Belle Letzer is not here in this world, with me.

She's always been there. I've never known life without her.

From my earliest memories, through today, Belle has always been there. She's been there for me, and everyone in my family. To me, she is our guardian angel.

The story reminds me of a movie. My grandmother, Sophie, is pregnant with her first child (my mom). She walks into a doctor's office and meets another pregnant woman, Belle. And the rest is history. The two become instant friends, and wouldn't stop being best friends for the next 65 years. 65 years!!!!! Can you imagine?

She was there when my mom was in the womb and she'd be there for every other major milestone in her life. My mom would meet her husband (my dad) in Belle's backyard. A fortuitous meeting thanks to mutual friends.

If it weren't for Belle, my aunt Lesley and uncle Barry would never have met. My mom's younger sister was bored one night, and it was Belle who encouraged her to go visit the local Jewish Community Center. It's there she met Barry.

That's our Belle. Less matchmaker and more fairy god-mother, in my book.

But those are the big events. To know Belle, is to appreciate the small moments.

Walking Belle from the front porch to the car, was a special moment if Belle was there.

Sitting in the car next to Belle was equally as entertaining.

Belle had endless joy, endless enthusiasm for life, endless stories, endless Yiddish lessons, and endless praise.

She called me 'the chairman of the board'. As a Sinatra fan, I liked that name.

From the time I was a young boy, Belle recognized things in me that no one else ever seemed to. That I grew up fast. That I liked talking to adults, even as a kid. That I understood the world more, than most people that age did.

And she'd make me feel like the smartest, most gifted and special kid in the world.

I didn't realize this until just now, but maybe my whole life has been about growing into the praises that Belle has been giving me since I was just a young boy.

She always saw endless potential in me. And I've yet to exhaust the possibilities that encouragement stirred inside of me.

Belle never missed a moment. From birthdays and graduations to awards and recognitions. I don't know how she knew about all those events. I don't know how she always seemed to have a card, or a charitable donation made in my name, or a tree planted in Israel, or some sort of acknowledgment. She never missed a moment.

Belle loved people. And she made everyone she was with, feel like the most special person in the world.

I never worried about Belle being lonely or uncomfortable at any party or event. She could and would talk to anyone. She seemed to seek out those who no one else really wanted to talk to. Belle loved people. And people loved Belle.

I miss her already.

I love living in Israel. But I miss the people I love. Especially people like Belle.

Belle loved Israel too. She never made it here, but she sure left a mark. She was part of a group that raised thousands and thousands of dollars for various projects in Israel, particularly Teleshomer Hospital, one of the premiere hospitals in Tel Aviv.

My friend, Demis, is a doctor at Teleshomer. I bragged to him once about my friend Belle, who he has to thank for having a place to work. That hospital is just part of her legacy.

As big a part as Belle was of the Komisar family, she had her own Letzer family. She was such a devoted wife to Al and she never stopped bragging to me about her kids and grandkids. Whether they were bagging groceries or traveling the world, she couldn't have been more proud.

Belle appreciated everything. She never stopped reminding me about how much she loved dancing at my Bar Mitzvah party, or when I left a group of friends to come over to say hi to she and Al, at my Bar Mitzvah service. 20 years later, she thought it was remarkable that I would come say hello to two friends of my grandma.

But that's where she was wrong. She wasn't just a friend of my grandma. She was another grandma to me and to Rami and to Dustin and to Lindsey and to Tori...and then to Dustin and Tori's kids. She was a part of our family. There was no line of separation. She was a part of us. And now, our family is incomplete. We are missing our dear Belle. And while we will never forget her, we will also never be the same without her.

Thank you Belle for making me feel so loved, for the last 35 years. Your toothy grin, sincere kisses and treasured stories will forever stay in my heart.

I will always miss you, and always be grateful to God for sending us our own guardian angel.