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In Memory of Jay Levine When all is said and done and we look to sum up a life, what comes into focus are the traits of a person’s inner life. Jay Levine was a student of Mussar who died last June at the age of 65. He lived in Alameda, Calif., and studied Mussar for many years, meeting with a small group regularly to cultivate his inner qualities (middot) including such traits as compassion, patience and responsibility. Jay was deeply involved in the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960's and served as a member of SNCC (the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee), participating in the “Freedom Summer” of 1964 in the South, fighting for civil rights for American blacks. He remained a champion of human rights his entire life. His activisim in the civil rights movement demonstrated his commitment to the trait of responsibility. He was never willing to sit back, especially when he thought he had a role in righting a wrong. For the past seven years, he had embarked on a spiritual quest to refine his middot and become closer to God. He met once a month to talk and look for God in his life, recalled his spiritual guide, Shirah Bell, who delivered a eulogy at his funeral. He adored people especially Kara, Eve and his son Nathan, and he set as a goal to be of service to others. As his relationship with God deepened, he opened his heart, let people in and felt freer to be with people. One of his goals was to deepen his connection with his emotions and that opened space for other people in his life. Jay loved to explore. He learned to sing, volunteering with the Oakland Youth Orchestra and Oakland Symphony. He studied video production to fulfill a long-held dream of traveling around the US, interviewing his high school classmates, which he did for many hours. That act turned into a part of his spiritual quest too, for he saw the project as a way to connect and give others the opportunity to look into their own lives. As he studied Mussar, he became a more observant Jew, yet he balanced that change with awareness that too much change might destabilize his family, which he wasn’t willing to do. His life was about expressing love and showing compassion to others while always trying to strive for change in order to be closer to God and holiness. May his memory be a blessing. Much of this article is based on a eulogy for Jay Levine delivered by. Shirah Bell. |
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