The Tragic Life Of Michoel Peschkowsky

This essay and any mitzvos or positive thoughts that result, should be a zchus for the speedy refua shleima of a sweet little girl whom I love very much, Eliyana Naomi bat Ayelet Yocheved who has yet another surgery for a lymph node biopsy coming up. PLEASE DAVEN!! Bi-toch shear cholei yisrael.

Mike Nichols just died in his Manhattan home and that is a tragedy. Possibly, in some weird way, a greater tragedy than what just happened in Har Nof. Let me explain, but first some background.

Mr. Nichols was an American film, theatre and television director, producer and comedian. To commemorate his loss, the marquee lights at Broadway shows will be dimmed for one minute.

He was not born a "Mike Nichols"-  he was actually born a Mikhail Igor Peschkowsky on November 6, 1931 in Berlin, Germany, the son of Brigitte (née Landauer) and Paul Peschkowsky, a physician. His father was born in Vienna, Austria, to a Russian Jewish immigrant family. Nichols' father's family had been wealthy and lived in Siberia, leaving after the Russian Revolution, and settling in Germany around 1920. Nichols' mother's family were German Jews. In April 1939, when the Nazis were arresting Jews in Berlin, seven-year-old Mikhail and his three-year-old brother Robert were sent alone to the United States to meet up with their father, who had fled months earlier. His mother eventually joined the family, escaping through Italy in 1940.

Nichols became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1944 and attended public elementary school in Manhattan (PS 87). After graduating from the Walden School, a private progressive school on Central Park West, Nichols briefly attended New York University before dropping out.

Nichols was married four times. His first wife was Patricia Scott; they were married from 1957 to 1960. He was married to Margo Callas from 1963 to 1974, producing a daughter, Daisy Nichols. His third marriage, to Annabel Davis-Goff, produced two children, Max Nichols and Jenny Nichols. They were divorced in 1986. He married ABC World News anchor Diane Sawyer on April 29, 1988.

Among Nichols' personal pursuits was a lifelong interest in Arabian horses. From 1968 to 2004, he owned a farm in Connecticut and was a noted horse breeder. Over the years, he also imported quality Arabian horses from Poland, some of which later resold for record-setting prices.

In his career he was involved in many many incredibly successful film and show productions. I will not bore you or me with the details.

Herein lies the tragedy. This Jew, just barely saved from the claws of the Satan [Hitler yimach shmo] and his aides lived his life in the make believe world of entertainment, being around fake, addicted [drugs, alcohol, you name it], egomaniacal people. He had the standard, show business [at least] four wives [some or all not Jewish] but no real meaning. Unless you consider Arabian horses "real meaning".

Then he dies and to remember him, the lights will be dimmed at Broadway shows for a minute.

How deep....

The people who were murdered in Har Nof lived every second of their lives with tremendous spiritual depth. They all married only one woman each [to the best of my knowledge] within our faith and had stable families. These people were heroes in their lives and in their deaths.   מי כעמך ישראל גוי אחד בארץ !!

What is being done in THEIR memory? Here is a translation of a letter [posted on cross-currents - and thanks to D.R. for the link] that is being posted around Yerushalayim, signed by the widows:

We turn to acheinu Bnei Yisrael wherever they may be. Let us all come together to increase the rachamei Shomayim shown to us! Let us all accept upon ourselves that we will increase love and brotherhood – between each person and his fellow, between community and community, between major group and major group.

Our request is that every individual should see to it to accept upon himself on Erev Shabbos Parshas Toldos, to sanctify this coming Shabbos as a day of ahavas chinam. It should be a day that we refrain from all kinds of divisive conversation, lashon hora, and rechilus.

This will be a great uplift to the souls of the heads of our families who were slaughtered for the holiness of His Holy Name.

May Hashem look from above, see our affliction, wipe away our tears, and say, “Enough!” to our sorrow.
May we merit to see the arrival of Moshiach Tzidkeinu, speedily in our days – Amen, Amen.

Signed with a broken and crushed heart:
Chayah Levine and family
Breina Goldberg and family
Yaakovah Kupinsky and family
Bashi Twersky and family

I believe that their loss should be mourned but their lives should be celebrated. The legacy they left will continue forever to bring more Light into all of the Olamos.

As for the tortured soul of Michoel Peschkowsky-  may Hashem have mercy.... His life and legacy were great tragedies. Who will say kaddish for him? Who will learn mishnayos? Or start a chesed fund?

Bilam cried תמות נפשי מות ישרים - Let me die the death of the righteous, the Avos. One cannot die the death of the righteous if he lives the life of a Bilaam. But if one lives the lives of Rabbis Levine, Goldberg, Kupinsky and Twersky then he can truly die a מות ישרים

זכותם יגן עלינו.