By Herb Levine on behalf of the Tribute Committee
“We are delighted that so many people have come forward to honor Mindy at our upcoming Tribute on May 23rd,” says Rosh Yeshivah, Ira Stone. “Mindy has been the cornerstone of our program. No other Madrichah has taught so many students who went on to become Madrichim and teach the next generation of students. This is a huge contribution to who we’ve become,” he added.
The current Tribute Committee is Chaired by CCM Madrichah and Board Member, Carol Daniels. Carol said that she took on this role to help celebrate “all that Mindy did to bring Mussar into the world and enrich the lives of so many.” Carol went on to add a note of personal gratitude to Mindy: “She was always my best advocate and had great faith in my ability to be a good madrichah. If it weren’t for her encouragement I am not sure I would have pursued this path.”
Committee Member, Marty Jacobs, also a Madrich and Board Member, who serves as CCM’s Treasurer, says that he “enthusiastically joined the committee organizing the tribute to Mindy to fulfill the Mussar concept of repaying the debt. “The debt I owe Mindy for getting me started with Mussar is tremendous, since Mussar has been truly a life-changing force for me. It has deepened my relationships with my wife and daughters, and positively impacted my interactions with all others.”
Also joining in work of the Tribute Committee is Chazzan Naomi Hirsch. Like Carol and Marty, she is a student of Mindy’s who went on to become a teacher at CCM. She described Mindy
as “a wise, compassionate, devoted, thoughtful teacher, who stretched my growing Mussar muscles because she knew that I wanted to become a Madrichah.” She added that she is “inspired by the way Mindy lives her personal Mussar practice.”
“Seventy-seven individuals have already responded to our invitation to the event,” says Managing Director, Isha Strasser, “It’s shaping up to be an incredible event for one of the key founders of CCM. Whether we know Mindy or not, all of us involved with CCM should be aware of her impact.”
In addition to celebrating Mindy, the event will include a talk by Rabbi Stone on Luzzato’s Mesillat Yesharim, a core element of the Mussar Curriculum and a personal favorite of Mindy’s. The event will happen close to the 275th anniversary of Ramchal’s yahrzeit. I hope that this article will remind others of the importance of honoring Mindy as one of our program’s key founders.
CCM supporter, Ira Siegal, wrote to me to suggest an appropriate choice of beverage for everyone celebrating at home might be a kosher wine from this vineyard (see image below). Cheers to all–we hope to see you there!
