There is a Jewish tradition to name a child after a deceased loved one. Naming someone for an ancestor helps carry on the departed’s soul and memories “l’dor vador,” from generation to generation. Typically, the Hebrew name is the same as the loved one’s, and the English name is similar. When our daughter Lizzy Savetsky was expecting her second child (a daughter) she approached us about naming her after my deceased father Julius George Blum (Yehuda Getzel in Hebrew), as no one had been named for him yet. Rather than saving the name for a son they might never have, they wanted to go ahead and honor my dad. At the first Torah service following the birth, Ira declared his daughter’s name as Juliet Georgie (Yehudit Gital in Hebrew). Yehudit stands for the women of Judea, whereas Yehuda represented the men. I stood by proudly, filled with memories of her namesake.
A couple of weeks ago, each child in Juliet’s grade did a presentation on a deceased ancestor, featuring a meaningful artifact from that person. For her L’dor Vador project, Juliet Georgie chose to honor my father Julius George, highlighting the symbolism of his gold Rolex watch. It’s a proud and significant moment for me that I’d like to share with you.
I’ve written several times in this Family Legacy Planning blog about the importance of preserving family heritage. Research actually shows that the more we know of our ancestors, the higher our self-esteem. Knowledge of a family’s past (particularly stories overcoming struggles) arms us with resilience when adversity strikes. We know we come from stock who handled even worse things and survived, even thrived. I applaud Juliet’s school (SAR Jewish Day School in Riverdale, New York) for supporting this effort.
The irony is that Julius Blum was seemingly a very simple man. It didn’t dawn on me until after he was gone how special and significant he was. He was a hardworking, humble, and unassuming leader. Never once did I hear him brag about anything. Then, going through his papers, I discovered all kinds of youth, college, and adult leadership roles in the Jewish community. Those activities were overshadowed by his heavy work schedule. As Juliet so eloquently describes in her project (see photo attached), Julius was relentlessly committed to earning a living to provide his family with all the advantages he never had. On top of that, he never complained—not once!
Juliet chose his Rolex watch as a symbol of Julius’ success. “The watch was one of the few nice things my great-grandfather ever bought for himself. It was his way of saying he had made it.” He wore it quietly and proudly, as a reward for all his hard work, and never as a means of showing off. Juliet is taking an important lesson from that heirloom watch. To her, the watch symbolizes the importance of having a strong work ethic and taking care of your family.
Juliet mentioned Julius’ love of bowling. He was in two bowling leagues: the Jolly Clowns on Wednesday nights, and a B’nai Brith Men’s League on Sunday mornings. At the end of each season, there was a trophy ceremony. Every year, Julius brought home a trophy from both bowling leagues engraved “Sportsmanship Award.” I asked what that meant and he kind of blew it off as a “no big deal” thing. Well, now I know it was a very big deal. Everyone voted for him as the best sport, the nicest competitor, sort of a Mr. Congeniality. That says a lot about Julius Blum.
He loved to take care of our kids Adam and Lizzy. Julius was playful. He arrived at our house with a Big Chief writing tablet and a big fat (easy to hold) pencil to teach them to write their letters. He sat them on the bottom step and asked math problems, and every time they got one right, they got to advance up a step. On Saturday mornings he’d take Lizzy in his pickup truck to the Ol’ South Pancake House for salami & eggs, chocolate milk, and a tummy ache. Then on many of those Saturday nights, Lizzy would go with my parents to the Fort Worth Symphony where Julius bought her a bag of cherry sours to devour through the concert (and yet another tummy ache, but well worth it!).
I remember when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at age 76. He looked at the doctor and us and said, “I’ve had 76 wonderful years. Who could ask for more?” Adam was a college freshman, and I remember Julius saying, “Don’t let my illness interfere in any way with you having the best college experience. Go back to Austin, enjoy yourself, and make the most of it.” Throughout my dad’s final year fighting that dreadful cancer, he still never complained. What a role model of strength and positivity. I cling to all these memories now.
Juliet Georgie (Yehudit Gital), indeed you come from good stock. Julius George (Yehuda Getzel) is watching over you.
Marvin Blum’s granddaughter Juliet Georgie Savetsky proudly displaying her great grandfather’s gold watch as a symbol of the heritage he left to her.
