I am delighted to be with all of you here tonight. First, I’d like to acknowledge all the people whose efforts have made this evening such a spectacular success: Irma Poretsky and Susan Finkelstein, our esteemed Dinner Chairs; Micki Gordon, who ironed out all the behind-the-scenes wrinkles to make sure tonight’s event ran smoothly; and, of course, the wonderful, David Gamse himself, the Executive Director of the Jewish Council For the Aging.
Last but not least, I’d like to personally thank Hy Bookbinder, not just for all his kind words this evening, but for over 40 years of sound advice, wisdom, humor, and friendship. Hy, this world of ours just wouldn’t be the same without you! You have helped profoundly to make this world a better place for all of us!
Nor would our world be so extremely good without “The Jewish Council for the Aging”. We are lucky, yes lucky, that “The Jewish Council for the Aging” has existed for the last 28 years! In those years the Council has exemplified the fact that “ability knows no age”. From the famous, original honorees, Louis Goldstein and Katherine Graham, and onward The Jewish Council has recognized and inspired leaders of all ages, genders, and religions.
And in doing so, The Council, with typical Jewish brilliance, and vision, has re-opened the eyes and hearts of all people, of all ages of all religions, to the fact that all of us must continue to enlarge and defend our inspiring national pledge as expressed in our Declaration of Independence: “We pledge our lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred honor” to our country, and to everyone of our citizens, “regardless of race, color, or creed”.
For me, one of the most surprising lessons I have learned is this, it’s not what you get out of life that counts, but what you give to life to the poor especially, when, what is given by you comes from your heart!
I have been blessed by the chance to lead and participate in some of the new initiatives and organizations which have called for peace in this century: “The Peace Corps”, “The Job Corps”, “Legal Services for the Poor”, “Foster Grandparents”, and “HeadStart”, for examples.
I have been blessed to help my wife, as a volunteer in “Special Olympics”. Yep my wife, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, started “Special Olympics”, which costs less than one one-hundredth of one nuclear submarine! And today 955,000 persons with mental retardation are enrolled as Special Olympic Athletes in over 160 countries around the world. Twice as many of their family members also participate as coaches and volunteers!
As we get older, I believe, we will get more happiness and contentment out of counting our friends and what we have done for others, rather than the dollars we have accumulated for ourselves!
Once we have learned that lesson, perhaps we will have learned the secret of “Productive Aging”!!
We will have also experienced enough in life to understand that no matter how much we have learned and accomplished, it doesn’t mean we won’t need to ask for help, every now and then, help for our friends, and sometimes, even help for ourselves!
So I say, “Help us, Oh God, during our productive years, and forever! Help us to abide by, and live up, to those inspiring and challenging words from our Declaration of Independence, and from Your messages, dear Lord, to all people everywhere, and or all times!
