Seligman Swartzman Gillis Sandman Joffe Yachad Lederman Fleishman

FORSTATER SIDNEY, April 25, 2010. Husband of Selma (nee Harris). Father of Ira Forstater, Mathew Forstater, Seth Forstater and Ann Forstater. Brother of Frances Mendelsohn. Also survived by 7 grandchildren. Relatives and friends invited to Funeral Service Wed. 11:30 A.M. precisely GOLDSTEINS' ROSENBERG'S RAPHAEL SACKS, 6410 N. Broad St. Int. Mt. Sharon Cem. Family will return to his late residence. Contributions in his memory may be made to the organizations listed at: www.caringbridge.org/visit/sidforstater Published in Philadelphia Inquirer and/or Philadelphia Daily News from Apr. 27 to Apr. 28, 2010 http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/philly/obituary.aspx?n=sidney-forstater&pid=142284819#sthash.f02baJeq.dpuf

Notifications May 24, 2010 8:25pm Shloshim Tributes Due to the Shavuot holiday, the shloshim (30 day) period of mourning for Sid ended on Tuesday morning, May 18. His grandchildren Sarah and Jacob honored his memory in the days preceding that in two very different ways. At Sarah’s bat mitzvah on Saturday, May 15, she discussed what it means to "count" (from the theme of the census in her parshat bamidbar). Here is part of her d'var torah: To me, a census implies that each individual is important by him or herself and that nobody is more important than anyone else. I had planned to lead a Monday morning torah service at the Abramson Center for Jewish Life the week before my bat mitzvah. This is the nursing home where my paternal grandfather was living. I really wanted him to be able to see me at this very special time, and I wanted him to count in this celebration, along with everyone else living there. Unfortunately, he passed away before I got that chance. I am grateful however, that every time we went to visit him this year, I practiced my haftorah and Torah readings for him. Not only did he enjoy hearing it but the other residents often told me how much they enjoyed hearing it too. This made me realize the importance of including everyone in the Jewish community. Too often we forget that the Jews who are on the margins of our community – those who can’t come to synagogue or can no longer participate actively in our community – are still important members of the community. The Hebrew word for count is “pakod” but that word also means to remember. To me, remembering people, such as my grandfather, means not only keeping them in your hearts but honoring their memory by remembering the lessons that they taught me and doing mitzvot. Jacob and his friends from UNC Chapel Hill honored Sid my studying the entire Seder Nashim of the Mishna. Jacob studied the last Tractate, Kiddushin. The last page was saved for Ira to finish with a minyan. As Jacob wrote: As I'm sure your aware, its traditional to learn an entire order of the mishna during shloshim, as it is quite an undertaking, its customary that people split the mishna up to be learned by friends and loved ones. My friends and the Rabbi from my talmud class have taken it upon themselves to help complete an entire order of the mishna in granpop's merit before his shloshim ends on erev Shavout. We've decided to complete the order Nashim (its the 2nd shortest.. but not the shortest!). All of my friends will be completing their assigned book two days before Shavout. As part of this, I am learning the Mishna Kiddushin, dealing with laws of marriage. I plan on having all but the last part of the last mishna in Kiddushin (about 1 page) completed by that time as well. I think it would be really special, if you feel up to it, to have you do the last Mishna (which should take only a matter of minutes), thus completing the entire order in grandpop's merit and having a siyuum. Its traditional to do this in a minyan and then you can say the special very long Kaddish for grandpop. On Monday May 17, at the evening ma’ariv service at Agudas Achim Congregation in Alexandria, VA, the last page was read and studied: KIDDUSHIN: CHAPTER 4: MISHNAH 14 . . . Rabbi Nehorai says, I put aside all the crafts in the world and I teach my son only Torah, for a person eats of its reward in this world, and the principal remains for the World to Come. But all the other crafts are not so. When a person comes to illness, or to old age, or to troubles, and he cannot engage in his craft, then he dies of hunger, but Torah is not so, for it protects him from all evil in his youth and provides him with a future and hope in his old age. Regarding his youth, what does it say? "But they that wait for the Lord shall renew their strength" (Isa. 40:31). Regarding his old age, what does it say? "They shall still bring forth fruit in their old age" (Ps. 92:15). And similarly it says regarding Abraham our father, peace be unto him, "And Abraham was old…and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things" (Gen. 24:1). We find that Abraham fulfilled the entire Torah before it was given, as it is written, "Because that Abraham hearkened to My voice, and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws" (Gen. 26:5). Then the kaddish hagadol was recited and a siyyum was held to honor the memory of Sid and conclude the shloshim period. http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/sidforstater