Gilel Melamed

March 26, 1918 - March 16, 2015

Hillel ben Hirsch Melamed was born 1918 in Latvia, as the first of two sons to Hirsch and Chana Melamed, both teachers. His father authored and published Yiddish books. Hillel was 23 and majoring in chemistry at the University of Riga when the German army invaded the Baltic States and attacked Russia in 1941. Hillel survived the Riga Ghetto, the concentration camps Stutthof and Neuengamme, and the death marches. Then, during the last days of the Reich, the German SS has been loading a decommissioned ocean liner, the Cap Arcona, off the Baltic coast with over 10,000 camp prisoners, with the intent to sink it. When the captain refused to accept any more prisoners (Hillel among them), they were told to jump from the shuttle barges into the cold water (7 °C, 45 °F). At the shore, SS troops were gunning down those who approached the land. Hillel managed to swim to the shore and hide under a tree. There, he was liberated by British troops who were just arriving. He is one of only 351 survivors. For more on this, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Cap_Arcona_(1927) Hillel found himself a DP (displaced person) in post-war West Germany. It was not safe for him to return to Latvia, now part of USSR. Stalin sent all returning prisoners of war to Siberia. Hillel immigrated to Canada and later to the US. He successfully worked there in research for DuPont. In the late 1960's, he returned to Germany for a research position and completed his PhD. He taught chemistry at a nursing school and worked as a pharmacist. He got married. Uncle Hillel managed to visit us even while we were still behind the ‘Iron Curtain’, in 1974. Once my family left the Soviet Union, he immediately got in touch, and regular mutual visits followed. When I was twelve, he took me along to his summer vacation at the Baltic Sea. He told me many Jewish jokes. Such as the one about the Jew and the Chinaman, where the punch line is: “Iceberg, Goldberg – you are all the same”. From him, I learned that Jewish humor is about laughing at ourselves. He also gave me my first Siddur. Hillel was deeply, naturally, traditionally, and lovingly Jewish. He also appreciated that for many of today’s Jews, less traditional streams were their link back to, not away from, Judaism. He traveled to Israel on a regular basis, to visit family and friends. He came to share in our Smachot. In 2002, he blessed at our Chupah in Jerusalem. In 2004, the Pidyon HaBen of our son was an emotional event. The last time he had attended a Pidyon was back in the thirties in Latvia, and he had not thought he would witness another one… Uncle Hillel always kept in touch. He would call us on our birthdays and without an introduction, play the “Happy Birthday” tune on his mandolin. We had extremely enjoyable, hour-long phone conversations about Judaism, politics, and jokes. Today, all of Hillel’s cousins’ children and their families live in Israel. He was particular in writing down and remembering the names of our kids, and he would always inquire about them. Hillel was always learning new things, into his late 80ies – another language, computer programming. Always abreast on politics. He spoke at least five languages fluently: Yiddish, Russian, Latvian, German, and English. He appeared to be perfectly fluent (despite his claim to the contrary) in a few more, such as Hebrew and French. Hillel’s last wish was to be buried next to his mother Chana and brother Shalom, and I’d like to express my gratitude to the Agudas Achim Congregation and its Chevra Kadisha for making this possible.Hillel lived to a few days before his 97th birthday. May his memory be blessed. Graveside services will be held at 1:00pm on Wednesday, April 1st at NEW AGUDAS ACHIM CEMETERY, 2565 Performance Pkwy. with Rabbi Harold Berman officiating. In lieu of flowers, donations are preferred to a charity of donor's choice.