Dr. Emanuel S. Goldshlag 1926 - 2011

courtesy of my blog: http://cjferrara.blogspot.com/

I met Dr. Goldshlag in 1994; I was dating his daughter. I had the usual culture shock of being introduced to a new family dynamic for a while. We all go through it; they don't do things the way my family does things. One night, I slept over their house. I slept downstairs on the pull out couch while Paula slept in her room. In the middle of the night, she snuck downstairs and got into bed with me. (Nothing happened!) I woke up that morning to Manny standing by the bed, looking at the two of us. I thought, "My God he's sooooooo gonna kill me." He didn't. He was very laid back and cool about it.

Over the years, I got to know him as a part of my future wife's life. In 1998, I asked him for his daughter's hand in marriage. I tried to take him aside and ask him privately, but he insisted that his wife be in on it. At that point he became my father-in-law, and my dentist. Fortunately for my teeth, he was very good at both.

Four and a Half years ago, he was diagnosed with colon cancer. He had a surgery to remove the tumors, but not before it metastasized and spread to his liver, mungs and abdomen. He fought it tooth and nail, using chemotherapy and surgery to battle the disease. Last year, his surgeon said that the cancer had spread to the point where the treatment wasn't working anymore. Even as he began to deteriorate over the next 6 months, he still fought to survive just one more day. He finally succumbed on Thursday, February 3, 2011 at 6pm.

In a quote attributed to Mother Theresa, it says, "If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway." This was my Father-in-Law. These sentiments are often attached to Christian faith, but in truth, they are also a tenet of the Jewish Faith. Manny strived all his life to be generous, kind, and a peacemaker. And in the end, nobody thinks of him as being naive, weak, or having ulterior motives, they only remember his kindness. I remember his wisdom, his strength, and his selflessness. There is a lesson to be learned from that.


Godspeed, Manny. May your pain be comforted, and may your light continue to shine in all of our lives.