Giving A Helping Hand At A Synagogue - Hurricane Sandy

It has been several weeks since Hurricane Sandy hit the eastern seaboard, causing much talked about but still hard to imagine and comprehend destruction.  In the aftermath of the incomprehensible rage that left behind insanity, something so much more powerful than the tempest appeared: the empowering human spirit that knows how to rise up and push forward to advance our human condition.  Call it what you want - but know it stems from the goodness each person has within - and it can be seen everywhere here in the New York metropolitan area and around the country.

Each day, as I try to play a humble role in helping others here, I see first-hand people from all walks of life banding together to assist those who felt the wrath of the perfect storm.

It is times such as this when we are reminded to the true capability of mankind, and, as demonstrated by our failures and faults, the need to do better.  Much better.

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Yesterday was a meaningful day for Maria and I: we spent part of the day at a synagogue in Brooklyn's Park Slope helping load supplies and food onto trucks that were headed to the Queens peninsula.

We were amongst a diverse group of New Yorkers - black, white, latino, asian ... Jews, Christians, Muslims, atheist .... doing what New Yorker's do best - mixing together through being part of the human race and simply trying to help those in need.  And once again, I was reminded just how special it is to know the true meaning of being a New Yorker: to celebrate our differences and weave them together into the beauty that is the spirit of this magnificent city.

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While at the Synagogue in Park Slope I could not stop thinking of my adopted grandfather, Morton Kohn.  He was a great man in every way.