On Shabbat, July 11, 2026, Steve gave a beautiful tribute to his father Bernard ז״ל and told how when Bernard was in the navy stationed in Sicily in 1944, he was tasked with painting the boat red. After taking a break, Bernard decided to stay in his bunk a little longer. The boat hit a mine and suffered irreparable damage. When the boat was tilted and sinking, rather than jump straight into the water, he opted to slide down the deck into the water. While doing so, he touched some of the wet paint he'd been working on, and his mates saw the red paint, assumed it was blood, and thought he was injured. Steve showed us the hat he'd been wearing that day, which still shows the name 'Blance' and some specks of red paint!
Bernard received two weeks off because of the ordeal, during which time he traveled home to see his family. During his time off, he went to Shul (Astoria Center of Israel) where there was a Kiddush in his honor. Steve showed us the Shabbat pamphlet of that Shabbat, bearing Bernard's name.
See photos below.
May his name always be for blessing.
