Ira Riklis Blog

It’s a sad fact, but as Ira Riklis knows there are at-risk children to be found in every nation. That’s one reason he’s happy to be a supporter of Emunah Bet Elazraki Children’s Home in Israel. The home is, well, Home to more than 200 boys and girls ranging in age from infants to 18 live. All are defined as “children at risk” and have been referred to the home by the Ministry of Labor and Welfare.

These children come from families suffering from economic, health and social distress which make in impossible for them to provide their children with even the most basic needs or to provide them with the tools and skills they need to grow into well-integrated, functioning adults. Ira Riklis became a supporter a number of years back when, during a visit to attend the Bar Mitzvah of the son of some good friends. What he saw impressed him. The children not only received a quality education, guidance, counseling and support, they were surrounded by love and treated as part of an extended family.

If you’ve ever been skiing, then you may have some idea of how crowded and potential dangerous the slopes can be. People of various skill levels from beginner to expert are hurtling at high speed down steep, slick slopes on skis and snowboards. Under those conditions, Ira Riklis wants to emphasize just how important it is to practice courtesy and caution and follow the “rules of the road.” Failure to do so can result in painful and sometimes deadly collisions.

The most important rule, one that Ira Riklis thinks everyone needs to keep in mind is knowing who has the right of way in any given situation. It’s simple and easy to remember: The downhill skier has the right of way. The logic behind this is clear. While skiing, your attention is always focused on the slope ahead of you. Skiers don’t wear rear-view mirrors and can’t really keep turning around to assess what’s going on behind them. Therefore, it’s always the responsibility of the uphill skiers to monitor the situation and allow the skiers below them the time and space they need.

Those words come from “The Star Thrower,” an essay written by poet, scientist and philosopher Loren Eiseley. In it, he describes an early morning encounter between two men walking along a lonely beach strewn with sea creatures washed ashore by a recent storm. One of the men is picking up starfish and throwing them back into the sea in an effort to save the lives of as many as possible. The story—which offers the inspiration that each of us can make a difference in the face of great challenges—has become a parable of hope that Ira Riklis first heard years ago from his Rabbi.

As individuals, it’s all too easy to feel powerless to truly effect positive change in this world. Even someone as blessed with resources as Ira Riklis feels this sense of doubt at times. Just as the man who watched the star thrower at his seemingly hopeless task mused to himself, we tell ourselves “I gave it up a long time ago. Death is the only successful collector.” But as the light changed, so did his perspective until he, too, took up the immense task. “I flung and flung again,” he says. In the end he comes to the conclusion that: “The task was not to be assumed lightly, for it was men as well as starfish that we sought to save.” Are there starfish around you that you can save?

Do you feel good about yourself when you give, whether of your time or your money, to help others? You have every right to, of course. But Ira Riklis, like others who follow traditional Jewish beliefs, understands that such actions are not “Charity”—something special that you’ve done that goes beyond what’s expected. Instead, it’s something that’s an integral part of being a spiritual person.

In this system of belief, such acts—known as tzedakah—are considered a way to restore justice to the world by giving back to others what has always belonged to them, including basic rights to food, clothing, shelter and the ability to sustain themselves. Ira Riklis also knows that there are levels, from lower to higher, of how and in what spirit such acts should be made. At the lowest level are gifts giving begrudgingly and only after being asked. At the highest level are those acts done willingly and with a grateful heart and in a fashion that does not demean the dignity of those who receive your gifts.

When Ira Riklis was 15 years, he badly broke his leg on a family skiing vacation to France. The misadventure involved a trip to a hospital in the French Alps where he had surgery followed by a most painful flight back to the U.S. But the saga didn’t end there.

Once home, he was taken to NYU Medical, where doctors told him his leg was not healing properly. Without further treatment, he would have essentially been lame throughout the rest of his life. So once again, Ira Riklis went into surgery, this time to have his leg re-broken and re-set. The procedure turned out well, and he was able, eventually get back on the slopes for the sport he enjoys. But it could have turned out differently. He doesn’t know whether the quality of medical care has improved in France in the years since then, but he doesn’t want to find out. Plus why travel to Europe when Vail—one of the world’s best ski resort—is right here in the U.S.!

A family skiing trip to France when Ira Riklis was just 15 years old, turned into a trying misadventure. First was the accident which led to his badly breaking his right leg on what was to have been his last, leisurely downhill run of the vacation. Following that was the hospital ordeal where he had to deal with surgery, less-than-friendly nurses and miscommunications based around his limited French and the nurses’ lack of English.

After his leg was repaired and put into a cast, Ira Riklis believed the worst to be over. All that was left was for his family to return home to the U.S. The trip started out well enough, a comfortable ambulance ride from the skiing area down to Geneva, followed by an equally comfortable ride on a private jet to London with him stretched out on a couch with his leg elevated. Then came the flight home on TWA. The flight was full, meaning he had no room to stretch out. Instead, his father secured a seat in the first row in the First Class cabin where he was able to prop his leg up on a piece of luggage. Not the best option, but it probably would have worked well enough if not for the fact the flight took them straight through a storm. The resulting turbulence caused his still-healing leg to bounce painfully up and down atop the hard-sided suitcase for many long,miserable hours.

As highly successful alumnae of the University of Pennsylvania, Ira Riklis and his wife Diana  consider it a privilege that they have been able, over the years, to give something back to their Alma Mater. Their gifts are a token of their gratitude for the experiences, learning, opportunities and lasting friendships they gained as a result of the time they spent there. Through their giving, they seek to provide new generations of students they same benefits that have been such a help to them.

Ira Riklis attended the University’s Wharton School of Business. Diana, earned her degree from the Graduate School of Education. Most of their support—which includes funding for three different scholarships, term professorships, a student lounge and various other facilities, including the Dean’s office—has been directed to the GSE. They feel their gifts can do the most good there, since Wharton has many graduates willing and able to provide significant support.

At age 15, Ira Riklis’ first (and last) skiing vacation to Europe ended with him badly breaking his leg on the last run of the trip. The accident landed him in a hospital in Megeve, France. It was quite an experience for a young American in excruciating pain who didn’t speak much French. The brusque attitude of the Gaelic nurses, and their disdain for Americans didn’t much help, either. The event was made bearable by the presence of his sister, who provided an ally and helped hold Ira’s foot in a relatively pain-free position while he waited to be taken to surgery.

Perhaps the most humorous moment (in a very “someday we’ll laugh about this” fashion) was when the nurses gave Ira Riklis a strange-looking, waxy pill. Neither Ira nor his sister knew quite what to do with it, and the nurse was no help at all, yelling something in French as she left the room. After some discussion between Ira and his sister, they decided he needed to swallow the pill. Fortunately, before this happened, the nurse returned, saw what he was about to do, pushed him on his side and inserted the “pill” in its intended location. Perhaps the lesson here is that, if you’re planning a trip to a foreign country, you might want to learn the word for “suppository” before you go!

Have you experienced “food insecurity?” How many of us have even heard the phrase or know what it means? Sadly, food insecurity—which basically means someone simply does not have enough to ear—is a harsh reality faced by nearly 5 million elderly Americans. Ira Riklis knows that many New Yorkers fall into this group. That’s why he’s been a long-time supporter of Citymeals-on-Wheels, an outreach effort to deliver food and human contact to the city’s disadvantaged senior citizens.

The statistics are sobering. One in four seniors in the city is undernourished. More than half of seniors admitted to hospitals are malnourished. And 14 percent of the elderly served by Citymeals rely solely on the one meal a day they receive from the organization. Ira Riklis has watched the program (and sadly, the need) grow steadily over the years. The group currently reaches 18,000 homebound elderly New Yorkers with healthy meals and human contact every day, making our elders feel a little more secure.

At age 15, Ira Riklis accompanied his family to France to enjoy some world-class skiing. The place they chose was Courchevel, a magnificent ski area located in the Tarentaise Valley, Savoie region of the French Alps, and part of Les Trois Vallées, the largest linked ski area in the world. For a young man enthralled by Jean Claude Killy, his skiing hero, it was especially thrilling to be skiing in the Olympic champion’s home slopes.

The slopes and scenery were spectacular, the small hotels lovely and the food—French haute cuisine—was sublime. All in all, it was a delightful trip, up until Ira Riklis’ last run before the family was to pack up and head home. He was taking it easy, savoring his last trip down the mountain, until he hit a patch of powder that grabbed his ski edges and pitched him forward. The pain and the fact that his right leg (with ski still attached) was in a position that was simply not possible if your bones are still all in one piece, made it eminently clear that he had suffered a serious break. Thus ended his first—and last—skiing trip to Europe!