ArtScroll's "Ronnie" about Rabbi Ronnie Greenwald, ob"m, featured on JM in the AM

JM in the AM on a Tuesday morning. Well, someone commented on our app that they bought the book. Ronnie, the name of the book is Ronnie. They bought the book for their wife who went to Camp Sternberg and she's enjoying the book immensely. And I say, as I said earlier when I read the comment that it is difficult for anybody who reads or is remembered uh or or remembers anything about Ronnie Greenwald not to enjoy the experience, not to remember with tremendous fondness how incredible he was. And I had a number of encounters with him in my life, every one of them more pleasant than the next. And today we have the opportunity to speak with Kanya Greenwald. Greenwald is with us live via telephone from Israel. He's the Russa at TJ Yeshiva Terret um in Jerusalem. It's located in Bay Van and he's one of the children of Ronnie Greenwald and um many of you are aware of the fact that Art Scroll has an amazing book entitled Ronnie the extraordinary life of Ronnie Greenwald written by Suri Cohen and edited and expanded by our guest or by Kana Greenwald. And in addition to that, tonight is the yard site of Rabbi Ronnie Greenwald. So we get to do this as the family and friends get ready for tonight's yard site observance for Ronnie. Rabbi Kanana Greenwald, a pleasure to welcome you to JM in the AM. >> Pleasure to be here. Thank you so much for the hub. >> I appreciate that. So I said that anybody who had an encounter with your father, anybody who has any memories regarding the uh uh you know all the different capacities that he had and where they may have known him from, chances are that they remember those encounters with tremendous fondness. What was it, and I know there's a lot of nuts and bolts to discuss about things he did and institutions that he led, but what was it about his disposition, about his personality that leads people like me to describe him in the way that I just did? Ah um I'm not sure what you know uh how to how to how to explain your description but I would say that from my perspective and and the experiences you know that we that we had and that we viewed growing up just the fact that he really loved people really and and he saw all people as people and so he could speak to the god Lador and he could speak to the janitor and he could speak to a Jew and a non-Jew and everybody just felt, you know, that this person valued them. >> Yeah. >> He's really comfortable with people. >> Yeah. And that's and that was the feeling on the other side for those of us who, you know, had the opportunity to meet him and discuss things with him and seek his advice and that was it that he he just took everybody so seriously. No matter what their position was, no matter what their background was, he just took everybody so seriously. And it and it seems from the book that he was sort of like this from youth that, you know, he he didn't really grow into this role. seems like he was always uh this type of person. Would you agree? >> Um but yeah, like from things we heard. I only came into his life when he was about 30. So, you know, I can't speak to before that. But from all the interviews, all the people who've spoken about him and for all the people who felt noticed by him uh from the time they were young and from the time he was a young man, it does seem that uh I think he developed throughout his life. Uh and he never really stopped developing. But from wherever he was at that stage, it seems that that's how he took people. He he valued them. We saw them as battering. >> Yeah. Pretty amazing. Where did the advocacy start? Where did the uh you know desire to be an activist to you know get involved in things whether it be political whether it be uh uh you know with government officials or you know leading leading different aspects of our community before we get to camp and all those other important things which I think are vital. Where did all the activism begin? >> Yeah I think it already began. I mean, as as a as a teenager already, he was just very active with people who he whenever he would see a need, he would he would somehow show up and try to meet it. But I I know that as a young shortly after he got married, he had some students from Russia who were who had come in on a visitor's visa and then they needed to get political asylum and he went to the state department. I mean, he went to Washington, he started meeting people. It could be he already had some involvement in local politics and maybe somebody made an introduction, but he went down to the State Department. Uh he went down to Washington to try to figure out a way to get these kids to get political asylum and not have to go back to Russia. And he succeeded. >> Amazing. And of course, uh I mean, as you alluded to earlier, it's all about relationships. It's all about, you know, getting to know people and and certainly uh you know, extending oneself on their behalf as well. And all those relationships obviously paid off tremendously for those he was trying to help. >> Yeah. And I think George Klein might have gotten him involved originally with Lindsay with Rockefeller and you know he's he got involved with them early on and um you know brought Rockefeller to Borrow Park which was a big deal >> and for the first time there was a Jewish block voting who were not voting as liberal Democrats but who were voting as Orthodox Jews. >> Unbelievable with us from Israel. We'll talk about the book Ronnie tonight is the art side of Ronnie Greenwald and we're highly recommending the book of course. Uh whenever your your father's name is mentioned, there's always something about international negotiations and hostage release efforts. Can can you explain what was the hostage situation that he got involved with and why was he successful at it? >> The first one he was involved in dozens of them. >> Dozens. and not hostages, not hostages, but political prisoners, >> right? >> Um they they claimed that Miron Marcus, who was the first person he got involved with who had crash landed in Mosamb beek essentially uh in Africa, uh they claimed he was a spy. Uh he was drive flying a private plane with his brother-in-law had a business and uh he crashed and uh a member of the Knesset Samuel Plateau Chiron who was uh who was had one seat uh in the Knesset got a hold of my father and said he know he knew he already had connections. I think he might have heard it from my uncle. He heard that he had connections in politics. Is a Jew in prison? Can you know does he think he could do something about it? And he my father used to say if you would ask me about you know doing swaps I would have said yeah bunk you know gimmel to bunk hey okay he didn't have any experience in international politics at all uh he had a lot of experience at that point already in domestic politics and uh congressman Benjamin Gilman who represented our district and uh was one of the uh uh longest serving senators congressman in the house of representatives eventually became the chairman chairman of the foreign affairs committee. Uh so you know my father was extremely close with him and they did many of these things together and he introduced him to people other people in the state department and uh you know and he was off and running. So there was this guy in a cage essentially in a square in Mosamb beek. At some point they put him in a prison and um and he he brokered a uh prisoner swap between the Russians. East Germans got involved also and uh and um Mosamb beek Mosmbique I understand was uh under the Russian uh iron block. It was part of the Soviet uh you know under the Soviet uh control and um and there was a Russian spy in Pennsylvania that the Russians wanted back, a guy called Robert Thompson. And so uh he incorporated this deal which it it's it still boggles the mind how he pulled it off and >> and who did he have to speak to on the Russian side to do that? So the Russians had a uh you know they also had control over East Berlin and there there was a lawyer in East Berlin called Wolf Gang Vogle who together with his partner a counterpart actually from West Germany had uh they had been brokering deals between the East and West Berlin because when Berlin was divided uh so there were families that were essentially uh separated uh some was in the east somewhere in the west. There was a wall dividing them and they couldn't get back and forth and they were the brokers who uh who were doing the deals between essentially the communists and the rest of the world. So uh he made he got the connection with him. Uh probably Flat Chiron helped you organize that and um he got the he got once he had that contact with him he was able to start he he worked for the Soviets essentially. Everybody in the Soviet block worked on worked for the Soviets. That was uh >> right >> that was Russia back in the day when we were younger. >> Right. Uh Hani Green Rabbi Hannani Greenwald's with us. We're talking about the book Ronnie his father's yard. Ronnie Greenwald's yard set is tonight. Um, you know, it's funny because, uh, one of the most important things I think, and I'm, you know, I've had the privilege of raising children. Uh, one of the most important aspects is summer camp. Uh, I I I would have to assume that your father, maybe you yourself as well, uh, you know, understand and appreciate the importance of informal education, the summer camp environment. I've made the statement and obviously I say this tongue and cheek. people shouldn't take it seriously, but I always say that I think the two months during the summer has more of an educational opportunity than 10 months during the school year. With all that in mind, and you alluded to the fact that he was already a rebby, a teacher, how does he found Camp Sternberg and and and why such a desire to move into that summer camp space? >> He he said that uh the best summers of his life were spent in camp. I think when he was in his 70s, he said something like 67 years of his life had been in camp. >> Yeah. >> Uh he loved camp. He grew up in the city. It was hot. It was dirty. It was the city. And uh going away, he went to camp a good as a six-year-old. He said, you know, my life started in Camp Auda. Like that was where I, you know, being air and and gmach and and and and you know, energy and happiness and sports and space. And he he fell in love with camp as as a six-year-old, I would say. and six or seven and he spent there almost every summer of his life in camp after that and he recognized the value of it and uh originally the the the why uh in Williamsburg they had uh uh Rabbi Weinberger, Rabbi Bernard Weinberger had uh contacted them, Mickey Weinberger had contacted them about uh you know you guys want the Orthodox to like you what are you doing for them and they said well we do hospitals, we do this, we do that. He said, "What do you do specifically for the Orthodox?" So he started Yes. So he started with Muganav and after a couple years in Muganav. When that was going well, he went back to the federation. He said, "Okay, he helped the boys. What do we got for the girls?" And then he started Sternberg. And now he was a kid whose family had no money. And uh to him it was very important that money should not get in the way of uh of a kid's opportunity to have a summer camp experience. And so they started, you know, they got all that funding and all that. Then gradually over the years he was raising you know millions of dollars to make it happen or to keep it going the board and him and all the people who are involved. Uh but to him that was critical value and what you said about two and 10 you know I have a friend who's an educator who says yeah two is more than 10. >> Wow. >> Sometimes that's you know. Yeah. So >> and how long did this last? I mean the the Sternberg Mugganov model that you just described was in existence for how many decades? Uh he uh Sternberg was 51 years till he passed away. I think they're still around. They just they they've changed a little bit, you know, now they're under private ownership. >> Uh do Percal brought my bought the camp and he kept my father on board for a few years until my father passed away essentially and uh so Mana would be about two years older than that. So it's been going since 1965. Sternberg. >> Were all of his children campers? Were all you guys campers? >> I hated camp. The rest of my family, the rest of my family like camp. I I I I was the one who didn't like it. I love the mountains. I love the the air. I love the water, but I I didn't like summer. I just wanted a one free. So, do you appreciate because I would only I can't I can only imagine how many people have contacted you and others in the family especially since your father's passing over the years uh to reminisce about how amazing Cam was and how amazing his role and his leadership was in all of it. Am I right? Is it endless in terms of you know people contact? You are you are you you are so right and it continues and I am not last night we got a three-page email about this on on specifically this subject we get re we get what I call regards from him almost every day at least one member of the family either a phone call a text uh email a personal meeting where somebody is going to say something about what happened to them in Sternburg or how my father somehow in their life made a difference and this has been going on since his death. Uh there were a couple of quieter years in between. Uh but uh once the book came out again, it started up with a roar. We have I don't know how many hundred pages of emails uh that people have sent just to kind of appreciate and to share with with us >> we get regards every day. >> That's a book in and of itself. Hundreds of emails like that that you could put together. Unbelievable. And and and look, I I mean it seems from the book, you know, you mentioned Rockefeller, you mentioned Lindsay. I mean, these are names that, you know, the old-timers obviously tuned in know exactly who I'm referring to. Nixon, right? He had a relationship with President Nixon. Would you be would it be safe to say that? >> Yeah. >> And with all that >> Yeah. Yeah. >> No, I'm saying with all that, it's camp that gets the most reaction regarding his life, >> right? You know, everybody likes ideas and everybody, you know, likes philosophy and everybody likes, you know, history and but just lived experience is somehow more powerful than all of those things. >> Yeah, that's true. And especially when someone has such an impact on someone else's life. And there was something about him and I mean I I asked you this earlier and I you know I I get that it's not the easiest thing for you to to analyze for us, but there was something about his presence. I mean I remember the last few times I saw him was at weddings. you know, you come across somebody and you sit in schmoo for a minute. There was something about the the pleasant nature that he had and the, you know, the the the the magnetism. People wanted to be near him. People wanted to hang out with him. People wanted to seek his advice. People wanted to, you know, get his opinion about things. There's something to that where where you know where you just you know I think it's a gift from above where where you where you have a personality like that and you just hope and pray that someone with that magnetism uses it for a good purpose. And obviously in his case that's exactly what happened. The point I was making was and maybe it's funny and maybe even appropriate that I got cut off during this uh during this spiel but you know he had incredible magnetism. Everybody wanted to be near him, seek his counsel, get his advice, sch smoo with him. I know what it was like. I mentioned, you know, just when I would see him, you know, the last few years of his life during different episodes, weddings, etc. And and you know, when you have someone with a personality like that, a magnetic personality, you just hope and pray that they utilize it, you know, for good and for friendship and to inspire others. And that's exactly what he did. And I I think that's something that that's a gift from the one above that you can't, you know, create. And he had it. And and I think that that's one of the reasons you get emails and reaction from so many people around the world because they remember all those positive experiences with him. >> Yeah, I I think you're right. I uh recognizing your gift and running with it, I think is a big challenge for a lot of people. Sometimes they think, well, this me isn't a good one or this is, you know, whatever. He recognized his gift and I feel like he just ran it. >> And those who think that that was not again instrumental in his relationship with the government officials and with you know people from you know international organizations that he would never ever associate with that he had no choice but to speak to for negotiations etc. I'm sure that that was part of it. I'm sure that his you know pleasant nature and his sincerity you know came through and and certainly opened up a lot of doors for him. You still there? Rabbi Kanya for >> the book. I'm still there. Can you hear me? >> Now, now we hear you. Go ahead. >> Yeah. When they interviewed Steve Smith, I think the the lawyer for the State Department for the book who had to sign off on a lot of the things he did. >> He said it was just such a joy to talk to him. >> Exactly. Exactly. >> Just never knew what he was going to come up with. It was always be interesting. >> Exactly. I don't know why we're having such trouble. >> That was his that was the way this fellow was. You know, was knew you I'm Yeah, I'm with you. >> No, the you're right. The joy, the pleasantness, and I'm sorry we're having trouble with the connectivity, but uh this conversation is way too valuable to end it, frankly. And and when it came to the book, did you think about what his reaction would be? Like, would he have thought it's ridiculous that there be a book about him? Would he have understood that some of the things in his life are great examples for people to read about and to and to um you know, incorporate in their own lives? like what do you think his reaction would have been to this project? >> I I hope he would have liked it. I think he would have appreciated it. I think he would have said if people are benefiting from it and we're getting also tons of regards about that, people having Ronnie Greenwall moments in their life where they talk to a relative they haven't or they reach out to somebody who they feel they should, you know, things that they might not have done beforehand. Like I've had a Ronnie Greenwall moment and I needed to utilize it. I think he'd be thrilled. Um, amazing. >> You know, he might have corrected some of the facts. I mean, we did the best we could and sometimes we had to kind of try to figure things out or we had to write it in a way that covered more than one possibility since, you know, it's just sometimes so hard to to drill down on what happened historically. But, uh, we, you know, we we tried very hard not to have inaccuracies, but at the end of the day, I think he would have been really happy with the book. I hope he will forbidden. I I know that my siblings were all happy uh uh with with how it came out and you know I I think that would be my mother was happy with it. So I I think he would have been good with it as well. >> Yeah, that's a good indication and there are a lot of people that do a lot of things and they're you know they they prefer that not be mentioned etc. I think you're right that that he he was the type where just accuracy was the only thing important to him. As long as he got it right, he didn't mind the story being told. And Siri Cohen is someone who knew him or was introduced to him by this project. >> So I mean they she lived down the block from my family. Uh she knew him a little bit. Um, and she knew the family well. And her father-in-law of David Cole was so close to my father and uh, and she spent, you know, like 3 years working on the on on on all the original material. And um, you know, and and then, you know, for the next few years, I was just trying to align it like with the person that I knew in the way that I knew him. uh and uh like the collaboration I think really paid off. >> I mean it's a 500page book that's that's quite a tribute. >> It could have been it could I'm not exaggerating when I say if we would have kept all the material that we had collected we it would have been a 1500page book or more. >> Unbelievable. And and great job on the photos by the way. Not not every international episode could have accompanying photos but you guys certainly had a nice collection. Thank god. Yeah, my father was really good about recordkeeping. >> Uh, and a lot of stuff was just documented and he and he kept things, you know, and he stored them in his we had like three, four filing cabinets in the house packed with his stuff. >> Pretty amazing. Um, what what do people think of the title? I mean, there is no other title, right? Even though Ronnie is, I don't know, a a nickname, a uh, you know, a shortened version of a of a logger name, the reality is that to the Jewish community and to the world, he was Ronnie, and there's no other way to title this book. Agreed. >> Yes. Even the Gdole called him Ronnie, which you know was unusual. They didn't call him Rafal. And uh, Raf K said at his lev he said Rafal would be such a perfect name. He was such a healer of people. He said, "But the PK says, Ronnie and rejoice and and and and and and and be happy." So, you know, Ronnie also is this voice of bringing rejoicing of rejoicing. He said, "How much joy did he bring to the world?" And he's got a bunch of grandkids, Rooney and Ronnie, and you know, girls and boys, as well as a few Ronnies and a bunch of Rafals. Yeah. >> Oh, amazing. So, there are some Ronnie Greenwalds running around, huh? >> There's one Ronnie Greenwald running around. There's a bunch of fall Greenwalds, but I got Iran Greenwald running around Australia. >> Unbelievable. And and I I just also have to toss in, you know, I I'm mean I'm not going to start telling personal stories on the air, especially in this context. >> Come on. >> But I will I will tell you that I am, as I said, obviously your father was someone who was very meaningful to me, and I think he recognized everything we do here and appreciated it. Um, but your extended family has members that have been extremely generous and extremely kind to us over the years as well. And I have a feeling that even though again the focus of today's Ronnie, welld deserved, I have a feeling that the Greenwald Mishbah in general has a lot of that because I I I would bet you hear from people that were uh that were touched by Ronnie, by his brothers and and by many people in the Mishbaha. >> Yeah, I I I hope so. Uh I I legacy uh that he created him and my mom created in the home. Um if we just kind of followed along the norms that they created for us that h value able to pass but that was really what they created. >> Yeah. And what a creation and what a benefit to claustro. What an incredible benefit to Claudius. And when you think about and we always talk about this when it comes to principles, when it comes to Rabbam, when it comes to camp directors, when you think of the sheer numbers of kids whose lives were enhanced and in many cases lives were changed by men like your father, it's just unbelievable. I mean, obviously that's why the, you know, the emails are so voluminous and the reaction is so incredible and you're getting disregards, you know, all the time as you described, but the sheer numbers of of people that are affected in a positive manner at really sensitive parts of their life is simply remarkable. And I'm sure you've thought of that many times. >> Yeah. You know, one of the incredible things about it is that, you know, if a person decides he's going to change the world, so he probably won't. But if he's going to change one life at a time, and every day he touches another life, and he does that for, you know, 70 years, you know, that's going to add up to a lot of that's going to add up to a lot of lives. >> That's for sure. Did you put any good color war breakouts in the book or not? There were a couple of really good ones, you know, with guns and neighbors and but I think at the end of the day, uh, there just wasn't space anymore. >> And and I'm sure the really good color war breakouts you can't even put in a book today because none of them would be acceptable by today's standards. In other words, we used to have >> possible. I might not have even heard of this. >> That's also true. But we used to have all we used to have even more fun in camp back then, believe it or not, folks. Uh but anyway, uh the the tradition continues and thank God the uh the the uh industry of summer camping was affected in a very positive way by the great Ronnie Greenwald, plus everything else we discussed this morning. And it's 500 pages, folks. There's a million things we didn't even get to this morning. We can't recommend the book enough. It's called Ronnie, the extraordinary life of Ronnie Greenwald. Siri Cohen, edited and expanded by our guest Hana Greenwald. Check it out at Art Scroll. You know what we always say when you go to artsgirl.com. Make sure to use promo code radio. But I guarantee you, you will absolutely love this book. If you love reading about personalities who have really changed the Jewish world in a positive way, that's what Ronnie was and his legacy continues. And you Rabbi Kanya. How long are you a rasha? And you shall >> uh 28 years I think something like that. >> And um and the yeshiva is in bayagon. Correct. She was in Bagan. Yeah, we have 90 students and we are we're in we're in business. And are these are these are these 90 American students who come to study in Israel or or >> Yes. >> Pretty amazing. >> Yes. America and a few from England, but you know, the rest of North America. >> An absolute delight to speak with you. I hope I did justice on this and I really hope people pick up the book and uh and and and get all the joy that we've gotten out of it. Um really an amazing really an amazing work and I thank you so much. And tonight, tonight is yard site number >> 10. It's 10 years. >> 10. Yeah. 10th yard site. >> Yeah. Yeah. 2016. In January 2016, he was nifer and huge fat. >> And Ronnie was and Ronnie was laid to rest where >> in Haruas. >> Wow. Thank you so much for joining us and his namash and aliyah and um and and the family of course should have tremendous uh uh should have a tremendously meaningful um uh uh night tonight day tomorrow as you observe the 10th yard site. Thank you Greenworth for joining us this morning. >> Pleasure. Thank you so much for your time. >> Unbelievable. What a conversation. What a conversation. Book is called Ronnie the extraordinary lifer by Ronnie Greenwald. Siri Cohen, edited and expanded by Hana Greenwald. It's an Arts Girl release. Go to artsgirl.com. Make sure to use promo code radio. Go to artsgirl.com. The book you want is entitled Ronnie. Go to artsgirl.com. Make sure to use promo code radio. More coming up. You are listening to a uh Tuesday morning edition of America's one and only Jewish moments in the morning radio program. I'm heard. I'm listener sponsored digital radio around the world web and awesome single.com on the single network and of course on the beloved NSN