As Rabbi Karlibach wisely noted: “Every child needs one person who believes in him.” Ideally, each child would have two parents and an extended family who believe in him or her. That’s the premise that the staff at Emunah Bet Elazraki Children’s Home hold to in everything they do. And it’s something Ira Riklis wholeheartedly believes in as well. He might also extend that statement into something like, “Every organization working for the good of others needs people who believe in them.”
That’s one reason Ira Riklis makes it a point to support organizations like Bet Elazraki. He was impressed with them on his very first visit years ago when he attended the Bar Mitzvah of the son of a friend. It was immediately apparent that the home was just that—a true, loving and caring home for the disadvantage children placed in their care. Every child who arrives there becomes “their” child and will always remain part of the Elazraki family. Even when they grow up to be giving, independent adults with families of their own, they retain their life-long links with their home.
Don’t we all wish the world made a little more sense? And don’t we all get a least a little put off by the absurdities and inconsistencies that arise in daily life? Ira Riklis feels that often. When he does, he’s come to realize he has two choices: try to reason with whatever or whoever is being illogical, or, if that’s not possible, just grin and bear it. (Which is by far the best approach in most cases, one has to put their energies where they will really do some good.)
A case in point is donating blood. Why do the technicians wait until after the’ve pricked your finger to take a blood sample before taking your blood pressure? Of course your pressure will be higher after the event (which is really the only time you might feel any discomfort at all during the donation process). But trying to change the system as a whole would be a lost cause. So several times a year when Ira Riklis goes to donate blood, he just keeps quiet and keeps smiling!
“To be or not to be– that is the question: / Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer /
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, / Or to take arms against a sea of troubles / And, by opposing, end them.” This remarkable passage from Shakespeare’s great play Hamlet are perhaps the most famous lines ever written in theater. And as Ira Riklis can tell you, they’re ever bit as relevant today as they were when they were first written.
The world faces a seemingly never ending sea of troubles these days. So much so that, like Hamlet, we wonder whether we can successfully end them. When Ira Riklis feels those doubts, he pauses to remember a parable told to him years ago by his Rabbi. A young man, walking along the shore of a real sea after a storm is picking up starfish and throwing them back in the water. When asked why by another beach walker, the boy replies that he’s trying to save the starfish by returning them to their home. He knows full well he can’t save them all. But one by one by one, he is opposing outrageous fortune and making a difference, however small, against a sea of trouble.
When speaking of Aish HaTorah, an organization dedicating to teaching others about the Jewish Holy book, the Torah, Ira Riklis recalls first and foremost the warmth and support they provide. He presented it this way in an interview several years ago: “Particularly during low periods in my life I have been able to turn to Rabbi Clyman for guidance. He has helped me to interpret my own beliefs, integrate and accept my failings, and find wisdom in the Jewish texts that help to inform my own path in life. Rabbi Clyman, and through him Aish HaTorah, has truly enriched my life.
One of the things that most impresses Ira Riklis about Aish, which has educational centers around the world as well as an extensive website, is how they welcome all who come to learn. Some religious groups attempt to convert people to their point of view. But Aish, which is intrinsically very Orthodox, follows the belief that Judaism is not all or nothing. Instead, it is a path one follows throughout life at one’s own pace. And everyone is accepted as themselves on the road to understanding.
Many of us have been fortunate to have participated in the early brainstorming phase of a project. It’s an exciting time, everything still seems possible and ideas are flying right and left. Often called ‘Blue Sky Planning,” it’s the time where every idea is welcomed without question. But like Ira Riklis, most of us know that this phase is followed by the more sober process of sorting out those ideas and looking at the realities involved in bring them to life.
The same principles apply to skiing. Avid skiers (or those involved in any other sporting endeavor) like to dream of the big runs, the remote bowls and unspoiled slopes waiting just over the horizon. A case in point is Blue Sky Basin in Vail. This remote spot offers some of the most exciting skiing on the mountain. But Ira Riklis is well aware that it takes a long time and a lot of effort to make it out there, and an equal amount of time and effort to get back. So when idea of Blue Sky pops up, serious considerations follow behind. Is the weather suited to a long, demanding day of skiing? Will the weather hold? How is everybody feeling? If the answers are positive, then off the party goes. If not, then it’s a day for runs closer in. That’s not all bad; it leaves time for enjoying a toast fire and some hot chocolate back at the lodge.
There are many paths to success and many traits that a person needs to achieve their goals. But no one doubts that a good college education plays an important role in this complex, modern world. That has certainly been the case for Ira Riklis and his wife Diana. They both earned their graduate degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. She attended the Graduate School of Education and (as should come as no surprise when talking about a very successful businessman) he graduated from the prestigious Wharton School of Business.
Both are fully aware that they benefitted greatly from the generations of successful graduates who came before them and who made it a point to support their alma mater. In keeping with that long tradition, Ira Riklis and his family have been more than happy to give back to keep their schools strong and thriving into the future. They’ve been most focused on supporting the School of Education, which they perceive as having the greatest need.
Those words speak of hope, vitality and a love of life. The fact that they were spoken by Mildred, a 95-year-old New York native who lives alone with arthritis, cataracts and a heart problem, make them all the more remarkable. In spite of the challenges she faces, her spirit remains strong. “It doesn’t matter what you’ve been through,” she says, “It matters that you’re a good person.” And it good people like Mildred, who live alone, often in poverty and unable to leave their apartments, that Citymeals-on-Wheels, an outreach effort to deliver food and human contact to disadvantaged senior citizens was founded to serve. And it the help, hope and nourishment the groups provides that have made Ira Riklis a long-time supporter.
The statistics for the number of seniors in similar situations in New York City alone are sobering. Chefs James Beard and Gael Greene formed the group in 1981 to meet what was thought to be a temporary need. But the need has grown steadily over the years and CityMeals has grown to keep pace. Another thing that Ira Riklis appreciates about this group is that they not only provide nourishing food to nearly 18,000 seniors, they also provide equally important human companionship for these people who have great difficulty ever leaving their apartments. And that’s vital for keeping their spirits strong.
It’s safe to say that few of us ever spend much time thinking about bone marrow, either ours or anyone else’s. But whether we think of it or not, healthy bone marrow is vital to staying alive. Ira Riklis can tell you that bone marrow is the soft, fatty tissue inside your bones that contains immature cells (stem cells) that produce all of our blood cells. It’s a simple equation: no bone cells mean no blood cells mean no life.
That’s a scary thought for those whose bone marrow has been damaged by disease or as a side effect to treatments for cancer. Fortunately, there is hope for them in the form of a bone marrow transplant. That’s why Ira Riklis long ago registered as a potential bone marrow donor. It’s much harder to match bone marrow than it is to match blood. Those who register as donors have their type taken through a simple cheek swab and then go into a national database. The greater the number of registered donors, the more likely it is that a match can be found for someone in need. And that’s reason enough to put at least a little thought into bone marrow.
Ira Riklis remembers an innovative new idea for ski bindings that appeared back in the 1970s. Called Burt Bindings, they seemed like a great idea to an eager, young skier. They were a plate binding that had spring-loaded cables attached to anchors on the skies themselves. In theory, they were wonderful. Once the tension of the springs was properly adjusted, the ski and boot should always remain in contact and at the proper angle.
But like many things that seem brilliant at first blush, the bindings had a serious flaw that wasn’t readily noticed by a skier who was still developing his skills and knowledge. At greater tension levels, the skis and boots would pull apart. In those cases, the cables would extend then automatically retract. That prevented your skis falling away from your boots in a fall. The system did work; Ira Riklis recalls a fall where the bindings performed as promised. The problem was that they caused an angle of fall such that it slammed his face into the hard-packed snow with painful results that caused him to ache for days after.
According to the old saying, it’s the early bird that gets the worm. But sometimes, others have to get up even earlier to give that proverbial bird a boost towards getting, if not a worm, a good breakfast and lunch. That’s the case with volunteers, including Ira Riklis, for the Central Synagogue Caring Committee. These dedicated people get up and get going in order to help the group serve meals to the homeless between Thursday and Friday mornings between 5:30 and 8:15 a.m.
Why so early? Does it really make a difference to a homeless person to get meals at that time of day? Ira Riklis can tell you that it certainly does for those who, while they may not have a home, do have jobs they need to get to and do well at. It also provides a much-needed source of nourishment for those who are trying to get an early start as they go out to look for a job that will help them raise themselves up.