From: dstrauss1899@yahoo.com Date: July 24, 2022 Dear Jochen: Not much to say in the way of news these days. Jan and I still meet with friends almost daily, but as I realize, this is just the way our life proceeds. This setting up of routines, like going shopping and doing errands, doing a daily exercise routine, working on house projects and projects of interest, visiting with my daughter and her children, calling friends and relatives… all play a significant role in our lives. Interestingly, last night we met with friends in our Havarah group, where the topic of discussion was “How have we found Life in Retirement”. Other than being active on various charitable or non-profit Boards, (e.g. the Opera and orchestra Boards, Interfaith and politically-oriented Boards, [in my case, the AJC Chicago Board])...all of us were dealing with the same type of lifestyle. Obviously, some spend huge amounts of time writing or reading, knitting, playing Mah Jongg and Bridge, being active in a choir and playing music recitals…these also came up, as well as being politically active for the Democrats. Bottom line, we all have successful lifestyles and shouldn’t be complaining in any way. I mention all the above because, unlike your son or others still in their career working world, retirement truly is the best time of our lives. Apart from dealing with health issues that we all older folks need to contend with, we are free to determine what we favor doing in our later days. I was a bit concerned about life passing me by without my “accomplishing" important outcomes, letting days pass in retirement, days passing only to vanish without remembrance. As it turns out, I began keeping a log of my daily activities. Looking back through three years of logs, I was surprised by the routine of life, with the only significant break in routine was when we traveled on vacation. BUT, despite not recalling what I did several days ago, I was facing the fact that I, indeed, was accomplishing new things, perhaps not earthshaking things, but outcomes of value to my wife, family, friends and to my own betterment. Hooray for that evidence. To conclude, I know in your twilight years that there may be days of frustration with lost opportunities, but more so, there is much overall that you and I can be proud of…career, and FAMILY. And, I might add, your legacy of wonderful writing, believed by me and Jan, (I offer her to read some of your writing devoid of your very personal expressions). To conclude for now, keeping working hard through your days as you are doing, continuing with that “I am doing my best” attitude! Your friend and distant loving relative, Don > On Jul 19, 2022, at 12:08 AM, Ernst Meyer wrote: > > July 19, 2022 > Dear Donald, > > Thank you for your letter. Let me begin by trying to answer your questions about family history. The attached "Stammbaum.pdf" is a genealogy composed in 1903 by my great-grandmother Emilie Herzberg Meyer's (d.o.b. Sep 23, 1832) brother Heine Herzberg (d.o.b. June 3, 1826) and brought uptodate to 1928. At the bottom of page 18, you will find an entry for my sister Margrit (misspelled Margit), born August 26, 1928, who died unmarried and childless on December 22, 2009. I myself, Ernst Jochen Meyer was born on June 27, 1930, married Margaret McPhedran (d.o.b. July 29, 1924) on March 8, 1952. We had one son, Klemens Benjamin Meyer, born on December 11, 1956. Klemens married Laura Ann Perlo in 1986. They have four children, Rebekah, (d.o.b. Jan 7, 1989), Nathaniel, (d.o.b. Mar 15, 1991), Benjamin (d.o.b. Mar 15, 1993) and Leah (d.o.b. Oct 27,1995) A few years ago, Rebekah married Mark Swartz. They have two daughters and a son, who are my only great-grandchildren but whose names and dates of birth, I am ashamed to confess, I don't know. The attached genealogy is of my great-grandmother Emilie Herzberg Meyer's family. The connection with the Rosenthal family was the marriage of Elfriede Rosenthal to Joel Meyer. (page 18) They were my paternal grandparents. Elfriede's sister Antonie was married, if I remember correctly, to Joel Meyer's cousin David, who is not mentioned in the Herzberg genealogy which I am sending you. The earliest ancestor cited was a great-great-great-grandfather of mine referred to as Herz Heine,(name probably reversed) no date of birth given, whose son Heine Herz (d.o.b. June 3, 1794) was my great-great-grandfather who considered his name embarrassingly plain and expanded it to Heine Herzberg. His daughter, Emilie, was my great-grandmother. Emilie's son Joel, my grandfather, must have considered his name embarrassingly biblical. He changed it to Joe, perhaps deeming Joe to be more appropriate for the businessman he wanted to be. > > You ask about my son Klemens. klemensbmeyer@gmail.com Some years ago Klemens was much interested in the family history, and I believe corresponded with Professor Robert Weinberg who provided much data about the Rosenthal family to Reinhold Busch. In recent years, when we talked, Klemens hasn't mentioned genealogy. He is overworked and tired. You should feel free to send him an e-mail if you would not be offended if he didn't answer. I hope this helps. > > As for myself, when I think of my family, I remember that when I practiced medicine, I considered - and treated - all my patients as members of my family. I am interested in family to the extent that there can arise an intellectual and emotional relationship between us, to the extent that I can reconstruct for myself the experiences of various family members, and especially to the extent that I can be of help to them. I am much aware that the older we get, the more help we need from our children, and the greater is the burden that we parents present to them. Now at 92 years of age my primary concern is that my children and grandchildren should remember me, reciprocating the feelings of affection that I have for them. The authentic function at my age is to bestow blessing, and I consider the epitome of my Jewish heritage to be the words of Aaron: > 24 The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: > 25 The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: > 26 The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. > Numbers 6:24-26 > > When I was 15 years old, a senior in high school, I was very proficient at the simple physics that we were taught, and I thought I wanted to become a physicist. When I got to college, I changed my mind, and studied literature instead, but the many intervening years have been adumbrated by wistful nostalgia for what might have been. Recently I have spent many hours each day reading essays and lecture notes about diverse physics topics. While I am reading, I think I "understand" the exposition, but what I can remember, is very spotty. It's not surprising that the frailty of my 92 years old memory would preclude my passing even the simplest of examinations. But then, at the same time, I become aware of the extent to which the plethora of details can block a different order of understanding. I have learned to read science as literature, with a sense that some of the implications of the theories, of the ideas and of the "facts" which are stated so dogmatically, are not susceptible to rationalization even by those who expound them most emphatically, but must be memorized, must be internalized and believed, accepted on faith, like articles of a religion in a secret language which we repeat to confirm our membership in a social community. But then, in order to confirm that I am not dreaming, I pinch myself to prove that I am awake, and I realize that I have invented a "metaphysical" explanation to mask my ignorance and incompetence. > > It's late now, time finally to go to bed and to try to sleep. Best wishes and greetings to Jan and to yourself. Jochen > >