Just caught a glimpse of the most over the top Jewish funeral I have witnessed, that of the former mayor of New York City, Ed Koch z'l. I had the privilege of working a temp job in the late 90s where Mayor Koch was renting some office space, so for a couple of weeks there I saw him come in and out of the office. He was a great mayor. I liked him. The funeral was held at Temple Emanu-El in Manhattan. I always know it was a shmancy Reform synagogue, and I was happy to see that the rabbi was wearing a kippa. The irony, though, was that most of the other head-cover bearing men were members of the NYPD. Not even Bloomberg was wearing one.
And then the casket escort of the synagogue out to the songs "New York, New York" and "Lullaby of Broadway." As my friend Emily mentioned, it was like a Liza Minnelli concert. We all joked how we couldn't help think about the Milford Plaza.
I'm glad I was able to catch his name during the memorial prayer. Baruch Dayan emet to Yidl Itzik.
Everything happens for a reason. A cultural commentary with a lotta rock-n-roll, semitism, and parenting. See our Etsy Shop! Buy HeadyBands, Hoodies and more at www.wholephamily.etsy.com
