Hamas War

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Sidney Spiegelman, 1920-2016, 5680-5776

Baruch Dayan Haemet ברוך דיין האמת

My father, Sidney Spiegelman, passed away yesterday after a long active life.

He was born in Brooklyn, NY, to parents born in Nasielsk, Poland and Rogotshov, Belarus.



During World War Two, my father served in the United States Navy and was involved with early radar systems, assembling and running them from the ships in the Pacific Ocean. He was saved from almost certain death when unexpectedly transferred from the USS Indianapolis just weeks before it was torpedoed. He told me that his transfer had been due to the fact that he was a good card player, learned from his father. Apparently there had been informal gambling--playing for money among the crew, and some higher up officers owed him a lot. They had him transferred to avoid payment.

After the war, he married my mother, Shirley Shankman, also of Brooklyn, whom he had met briefly before being drafted. They were married from March, 1948 until her death in June, 2013, sixty-five years. He adored her to the end.




I'll write more in later posts, Gd willing. My father's funeral will be on Friday, before Passover, in New York. Since I can't travel in for it, I'm sitting shiva at home in Shiloh at present until before the Holiday.

12 comments:

Varda Meyers Epstein (Judean Rose) said...

So sorry for your loss, Batya. He sounds like he was a fine man. May his memory be a blessing.
Varda Epstein

Joe in Australia said...

Hamakom yinachem etchem betoch shaar avlei tziyon veyerushalayim.

Anonymous said...

BDE.Dear Batya: Sorry for your loss. For you, it must be doubly hard, to be so far away. May you be comforted by your memories both of and with him, and may your family know no further sorrow. Ellen Schabes

Miryam said...

Thank you for this brief glimpse at your dear father z"l's very long life.
May you be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem, and be blessed as he was with loving family and friends.

Neshama said...

There is nothing compared to losing a parent. A whole year you will be remembering and remembering. Baruch Dayan HaEmes.
Neshama

GoldieZP said...

Boruch Dyan haEmes, Batya. Hamakom yinachem etchem betoch shaar avlei tziyon veyerushalayim.

yaak said...

BD"H. May you see no more sorrow.

Batya said...

Thank you all

LondonMale said...

I wish you long life.

Batya said...

amen, thanks

Anonymous said...

Just got to reading this. Sorry to read about this sad news.
BDE, may you and family be comforted among the mourners of Tzion/Yerushalayim.

bracha

Batya said...

Amen, thank you