Page 75 - issue
P. 75
Rabbi Siegel
heard him voice a word of complaint that his learning was Accelerating the Pace of Change ©WWW
suffering because of his diligent attention to his responsibili-
ties at home. Our mother’s pursuits as PTA president at TA Evidence-Based Treatment for Children and Adolescents
and as a proud member of the chevra kadisha were facilitat- Anxiety, Behavior, Depression & Trauma
ed by his supportive attitude. Parenting Techniques with Proven Results
The one exception to our father’s nightly study in the Momentumcounseling@outlook.com
home was the weekly Wednesday night excursion with the 443-756-4648
entire family to the local public library, where we would each
take out the full limit of books allowed. Totty would most Evening and Sunday appointments
often spend his time at the library at a table in the children’s
section learning and keeping a watchful eye while we chil-
dren would run around at high speed collecting our allot-
ment of books. On occasion, we would notice our father
examining books in the Reference section, where, we sur-
mise, he was conducting his research into those issues that
he needed for his zmanim analysis.
In later years, when the first of the Westreich grandsons
entered the Ner Israel Bais Midrash, Zaidy Siegel started a
biweekly Derech Hashem chavrusa with his oldest grandson,
Aryeh. Not only did Aryeh benefit from the regular learning
with his Zaidy, but he also forged an enduring relationship
with his grandfather.
Consistent in the Face of Challenges
Our mother’s passing in 1981, at the age of 46, was a great
blow to our father, who was left with a young family and his
aging father to care for. He met those challenges with the
absolute faith and acceptance of the will of the Ribono shel
Olam that defined him from his youth.
In 1985, Totty married the former Yente Potash from
Brooklyn. Their shidduch was made by Mrs. Eisgrau, mother
of Totty’s close friend, Rabbi Eliezer Eisgrau. As a Holocaust
survivor whose entire family had been wiped out, Yente was
delighted to finally have a father-in-law and an elter-Zaidy for
her own grandchildren. She devotedly cared for Grandpa
until his passing in 1989. Yente carried on the Siegel legacy
of Torah and chesed, volunteering in Levindale and at the
local nursing homes and hospitals.
Even after his children had long-since graduated from
school, our father’s carpooling duties did not come to an end.
More than once, Totty would proudly support Yente in her
activities as a doula (birthing coach) by driving her in the
middle of the night to the hospital to help young women dur-
ing childbirth.
During his marriage to Yente, our father moved into his
job as a mashgiach (kashrus superintendent) at Empire,
where he worked for 10 years. He continued to distinguish
himself as a valuable Torah and halachic resource in his new
professional capacity. Ever humble, when asked to accept a
promotion as a rav hamachshir (rabbinic administrator),
Totty declined, preferring to remain a simple
mashgiach working on the production line. Rabbi
Kostelitz, rav hamachshir, described our father as a
u 410 358 8509 u 71
heard him voice a word of complaint that his learning was Accelerating the Pace of Change ©WWW
suffering because of his diligent attention to his responsibili-
ties at home. Our mother’s pursuits as PTA president at TA Evidence-Based Treatment for Children and Adolescents
and as a proud member of the chevra kadisha were facilitat- Anxiety, Behavior, Depression & Trauma
ed by his supportive attitude. Parenting Techniques with Proven Results
The one exception to our father’s nightly study in the Momentumcounseling@outlook.com
home was the weekly Wednesday night excursion with the 443-756-4648
entire family to the local public library, where we would each
take out the full limit of books allowed. Totty would most Evening and Sunday appointments
often spend his time at the library at a table in the children’s
section learning and keeping a watchful eye while we chil-
dren would run around at high speed collecting our allot-
ment of books. On occasion, we would notice our father
examining books in the Reference section, where, we sur-
mise, he was conducting his research into those issues that
he needed for his zmanim analysis.
In later years, when the first of the Westreich grandsons
entered the Ner Israel Bais Midrash, Zaidy Siegel started a
biweekly Derech Hashem chavrusa with his oldest grandson,
Aryeh. Not only did Aryeh benefit from the regular learning
with his Zaidy, but he also forged an enduring relationship
with his grandfather.
Consistent in the Face of Challenges
Our mother’s passing in 1981, at the age of 46, was a great
blow to our father, who was left with a young family and his
aging father to care for. He met those challenges with the
absolute faith and acceptance of the will of the Ribono shel
Olam that defined him from his youth.
In 1985, Totty married the former Yente Potash from
Brooklyn. Their shidduch was made by Mrs. Eisgrau, mother
of Totty’s close friend, Rabbi Eliezer Eisgrau. As a Holocaust
survivor whose entire family had been wiped out, Yente was
delighted to finally have a father-in-law and an elter-Zaidy for
her own grandchildren. She devotedly cared for Grandpa
until his passing in 1989. Yente carried on the Siegel legacy
of Torah and chesed, volunteering in Levindale and at the
local nursing homes and hospitals.
Even after his children had long-since graduated from
school, our father’s carpooling duties did not come to an end.
More than once, Totty would proudly support Yente in her
activities as a doula (birthing coach) by driving her in the
middle of the night to the hospital to help young women dur-
ing childbirth.
During his marriage to Yente, our father moved into his
job as a mashgiach (kashrus superintendent) at Empire,
where he worked for 10 years. He continued to distinguish
himself as a valuable Torah and halachic resource in his new
professional capacity. Ever humble, when asked to accept a
promotion as a rav hamachshir (rabbinic administrator),
Totty declined, preferring to remain a simple
mashgiach working on the production line. Rabbi
Kostelitz, rav hamachshir, described our father as a
u 410 358 8509 u 71
