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Phil Raimi's avatar

Wow, wow, WOW Alan! You know I’m a huge fan of your work but this post topped them all! LOVE what your wrote about Oteil and Friends, but that section about wearing your great-grandfather’s 100+ year old Tallis on Yom Kippur! Just amazing and incredible - it really hit deep in my Yiddushe Neshama (for those of you non-Jewish “Yiddush/Jewish soul”) literally a day after a very meaningful Yom Kippur!

Thank you so much again for posting something SO meaningful, about our beloved ABBband Jewish families respectively!

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Alan Paul's avatar

Thank you Phil. I had these two things I wanted to write about and as I started, I felt the connection. Wearing that tallis was powerful. I had worn it before and not had that profound experience.

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Phil Raimi's avatar

Boy I can certainly relate! It sounds very similar to the experience I had when I was davening at the Kotel a few years ago and put my hand on it - a very powerful spiritual feeling. You are a great guy - I just SO love that there is someone out there like you who combines all these shared elements so effortlessly - the Yiddushkeit, the love of ABB, the Michigan connections! You are a real mensch and I hope some day our paths will cross and we can share a couple of moments together chatting!!

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Alan Paul's avatar

Thank you.

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Pretti1's avatar

Three comments on subjects miles apart with Your story the commonality - so well interwoven into Your history.

Your blessings are many and Your mission is clear. Your vocation is obviously the stirring of memories easily lost in time.

You do this well, Alan.

ThankYou for sharing Your histories.

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Alan Paul's avatar

Thank you so much.

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Peggy R.'s avatar

This was wonderful. My your great-grandfather Isidor's memory be a blessing and continue to insire your research, archive digging and writing.

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Alan Paul's avatar

Thanks Peggy!

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Edward Shavelson's avatar

That was an all around fantastic read. Oteil and friends. But more importantly the history of your Great Grandfather's pursuit to persevere history. there is not to many young people in todays society interested in history let alone perseveraring it.

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Alan Paul's avatar

Thank you. I've always been interested in history and preserving it. Took me a long time to realize that's what I was doing in my journalism.

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David Hudson's avatar

Good stuff Alan!

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Alan Paul's avatar

Thank you.

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Tony Bennie's avatar

Thanks for sharing the Oteil show story, sounds like an amazing evening and I wish I could watch it. Also really loved the moving story about your family history.

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