The Book of Asher: Memoirs of a Passionate Jewish Life

By Sonia Usatch-Kuhn

Asher Leon Edelstein has been described as a spirited, learned, force of naturea complex, focused man on-the-go. He lived his life guided by seven principles: gratitude, friendship, smiles, connectedness, honor, reverence and acceptance. Become acquainted with this Raleigh, North Carolina dynamo, who, consistently remained true to his love of Torah, family and every stranger who crossed his path under all manner of circumstance. Feel the energy of the first Jewish basketball player for Georgia Tech, his escapades on the golf course (including Augusta), his sweetly-filled teaching method that endeared him to his coming-of-age bar and bat mitzvah students. Ashers cantorial voice enthralled the congregants of Beth Meyer Synagogue. Story-teller, food lover and mover and shaker, Asher was inspirational.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Dec 28, 2012
• ISBN: 9781481710725

Sonia Usatch-Kuhn

Sonia Usatch-Kuhn is the author of Noodle Kugel & Life’s Other Meichels and the editor of Living in the Rooms of our Lives. Her poems, short stories and articles have been published in the Main Street Rag, The Journal of Poetry Therapy and numerous anthologies. She was a contributing author for Poetic Medicine: The Healing Art of Poem-Making. Usatch-Kuhn has been a correspondent for the News and Observers’ community paper, Southwest Wake News and for the NBC produced website, MyNC.com. On Long Island, she taught second-year medical students at Stony Brook School of Medicine. She is passionate about the words of playwrights and has appeared on stage in New York, Raleigh, Durham and Cary. She and her husband call Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina home.

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© 2013 Sonia Usatch-Kuhn. All Rights Reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 02/20/2013

ISBN: 978-1-4772-6470-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4817-1072-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012916375

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THE BOOK OF ASHER

Memoirs of a Passionate

Jewish Life

Other books by

Sonia Usatch-Kuhn

[e-mail]

Noodle Kugel & Life’s Other Meichels

Living in the Rooms of our Lives

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I am especially thankful to Judi for two gifts—the creative freedom she extended to me during the compilation of the sixty five memoirs and for sharing an original lesson plan written in Asher’s own hand.

My gratitude is extended to her family members and friends, to Asher’s students, the staff at Universal Healthcare, Asher’s Army and the rabbis with whom Asher shared his knowledge, skill and voice.

I am indebted to Rabbi Eric Solomon for his help with transliteration of the Yiddish and Hebrew words and review of the glossary.

I extend appreciation to the members of my writing community, notably Alice Osborn for her advice early-on, to Cathy Larsen for her thoughtful insight and enthusiasm, David Snyder who believed in the book and in me—and to Henry Kuhn, for his expert technical and loving support.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I

THE MAN

Show generosity and gratitude for family and friends

Be the kind of friend you would want as your buddy

Be the cause of a smile, you’ll never meet a stranger

PART II

THE MENTOR

Stay connected to all generations

Offer yourself as an honor, not an obligation

PART III

THE MENSCH

Revere those who came before you; respect all God’s creatures

Accept who you are, laugh at yourself, acknowledge life’s changes

Glossary of Hebrew/Yiddish Words & Phrases

List of Names Corresponding to Photo Collages

THE BOOK OF ASHER

Memoirs of a Passionate

Jewish Life

SEVEN PRINCIPLES

There are seven principles for living a good life described in this memoir about

Asher Leon Edelstein, who personified all of them. They are:

Show generosity and gratitude for family and friends

Be the kind of friend you would want as your buddy

Be the cause of a smile, you’ll never meet a stranger

Stay connected to all generations

Offer yourself as an honor, not as an obligation

Revere those who came before you; respect all God’s creatures

Accept who you are, laugh at yourself, acknowledge life’s changes

I hope you enjoy reading this book, which brings these principles to life.

Sonia Usatch-Kuhn

Editor

Each of Us Has a Name

By Zelda

Translated by Marcia Lee Falk

Each of us has a name

given by God

and given by our parents

Each of us has a name

given by our stature and our smile

and given by what we wear

Each of us has a name

given by the mountains

and given by our walls

Each of us has a name

given by the stars

and given by our neighbors

Each of us has a name

given by our sins

and given by our longing

Each of us has a name

given by our enemies

and given by our love

Each of us has a name

given by our celebrations

and given by our work

Each of us has a name

given by the seasons

and given by our blindness

Each of us has a name

given by the sea

and given by

our death.

THE BOOK OF ASHER

Memoirs of a Passionate

Jewish Life

FOREWORD

L’Dor Va Dor

From generation to generation…

I suppose most daughters believe that their dads are pretty special and grow up idealizing them. I happen to know that my dad, Asher Leon Edelstein, was indeed quite special to me and the entire community of Raleigh, North Carolina where I grew up.

My dad possessed gifts that were revealed over time. They inspired and impacted generations of Jewish youth in Raleigh from the ‘60s until his death in May 2010.

I would not say my dad was always a best friend, husband or father. I am certain, however, that he became the best grandfather, tutor and mentor.

As I recall, my dad missed many special moments during my early years; some because of his 30 year career as a top-producing sales representative for DeWitt Chemical Company and Zep Manufacturing. Others because he indulged in two of his greatest passions, attending various college ACC basketball tournaments and teeing off on the golf course. Although my dad did not witness my induction into the National Honor Society, horse show competitions, guitar recitals and solo performance in my senior high school production of My Fair Lady, I never resented him for those omissions. I simply accepted them.

My dad was more like an over-grown ten-year-old than an adult. His zest for life and keen wit made him impossible to resist. People of all ages were drawn to Asher. He was a magnet, an alluring force of nature. No one