Community Magazine April 2019

42 Community Magazine It was also somewhat of a miracle that Edmond lived a healthy life right up until just a few months before he passed away. Edmond’s Joyous Performance of Mitzvot With a neshama of gold, all Edmond did on this earth was collect mitzvot. He was an inspiration tomany because he did it all with simha , joy. It’s been brought down by many rabbis that the act of doing a mitzvah provides one with only partial credit, and to do a good deed with love and a smile makes it complete. This was Edmond’s hallmark trait, if you had to pick just one. We can all take a lesson from this man’s love and devotion to the Torah and all of its precious mitzvot. His respect for his parents was tremendous. Edmond took care of his father and respected himmore than anyone else. When his father got sick, Edmond would get him dressed, take him to shul, offer him tea, and everything else in between. He would be at his father’s side for hours on end, caring for him. If his father ever got upset, Edmond would rush to play him music. He would tell his father to relax and enjoy the music. This is the man he was. To his friends and family Edmond was a shining star, but his popularity expanded far beyond his inner circle. He was known to many in the community as the kind soul who collected money for Bnai Yosef day in and day out. The shul hosts hundreds of men for minyanim every day, and Edmond managed to raise close to one thousand dollars for the synagogue each day he collected. Billy Schweky, a community member who frequents Bnai Yosef, described Edmond as such, “When he comes up to you to collect tzedaka , he doesn’t say a word, and he doesn’t need to. It’s all facial expressions and body language, and somehow, he manages to get you to WANT to give. Although I did not know his name until now, through my brief interactions with him I must say, I really liked him. You can’t help but like him! I could only imagine the amount of money this man raised for tzedaka without even saying a word.” O n February 2, 2019, Shabbat day, our community lost a very special and valued member. Edmond Bassoul was born Syria in 1951 with Down syndrome. His mother passed away when he was very young, and soon after his stepmother stepped up to the plate to raise him, for over 56 years. Edmond exceeded everyone's expectations when it came to what he was capable of doing. Not only was he surprisingly self-sufficient, he was able to do for others and was known for doing hesed with a smile. Edmond loved to be in shul. He typically frequented Bnai Yosef (also known as The Sitt Shul) more than anywhere else. Some would say it was his second home. He would pray, learn Torah, and even collect tzedaka daily, during the hours he spent in the synagogue. Next to the rabbi, of course, Edmond was the main guy in the synagogue, and people looked forward to seeing his warm smile. Beloved Member of His Family and Community Although he never married, when you asked Edmond what he wanted to do with his life, he said he wanted to get married. He understood that building a family is important for Am Yisrael . He did contribute to his family however, in a big way. He helped raise his siblings. One might expect that Edmond needed extra attention from his siblings, but the opposite was true. He always looked after and took care of his family. He kindly babysat for his nieces and nephews, and did many other things to help his siblings, who loved and cherished him dearly. Edmond was beloved by everyone who knew him, and it’s clear that Gd was always watching over him. As far as his Down syndrome disorder, suffice it to say he was very high functioning. He also was blessed to live to the ripe old age of 68, which is far beyond the life expectancy of individuals with Down syndrome. Remembering Edmond Bassoul Frieda Schweky