The institution opened in 1931, thanks to his tireless efforts. He encouraged the Bialystoker Ladies Auxiliary to expand, for he believed women could play a vital role in the Home’s development. In 1932, the Auxiliary numbered 1300 members. Over the years, the Center and Ladies Auxiliary trained many /andsleit in commu- nal service. Mr. Sohn was Executive Director of the Bialy- stoker Center and Home until shortly before his death in February 1968. At the time of his death, he was a resident of the facility he built. To this day we remember him with respect and affection. David Sohn, Husband and Father by Naomi Kavee and Mildred Spiegel Ou father, David Sohn, taught us that Judaism requires helping others; getting rich is not what brings joy. As youngsters, we could not understand why Papa spent less time with us than other fathers did. We couldn’t even spend a summer vacation with him, because he worked endlessly to establish the Bialystoker Center and Home for the Aged. When we complained about his absences, he _handled us cleverly. Describing in detail the wonderful time he was going to give us at the ballet or Radio City Music Hall on our annual outing, he succeeded in quieting us for weeks at a time. These treats usually took place during Passover. Anticipating a whole day with father made it easier to tolerate not having him around on Sundays and holidays. Friday nights were special in our house because Papa ate with us. Mama was a wonderful cook, but everything smelled and tasted better than usual on Fri- day nights. After the Sabbath meal, he took us into the living room and told us Bible stories that always had a moral, or tales of Bialystok when he was a boy. Nostalgia crept into his voice as he reminisced about his house on Jurowcer Street and the walks he and Mama took in the forest with their friends. Nobody told a story like Papa. When we grew up and had our own children, we realized what a great man our father was in placing the landsleits’ interests above his and his family’s. This could not have been easy for him, but he felt a duty to personify Bialystok’s compassionate traditions. AROS ARNG RAR The Presidium of the First National Bialystoker Convention convoked by the Bialystoker Center in August, 1934. Seated right to left: Louis Davis, Treasurer of the Bialystoker Home for the Aged; Philip Schneider, Comptroller; Sam Babier, Director; Louis Cohn, Vice-Chairman of the Center; Benjamin Tabachinsky, Representative of the Yiddish Schools in Poland; Jacob Krepliak, Chairman of the Center Board of Directors; William Abramson, Vice-Chairman of the Convention; Alexander Kahn, General Manager of thr Jewish Daily Forward; Chaim Weintraub, “Ort”; Rabbi Mordechai Kirshblum, Mizrachi Organization of America. Standing: Philip Rosenthal, President of the Home for the Aged; Sam Kassel, Auditor; David Sohn, General Secretary of the Center; and Joseph Lipnik, Chairman of the Home for the Aged. The Bialystoker Memorial Book 179