One Lovable Yid

Somehow, and I have no idea how, Shimon knew everything there was to know about proper stage lighting. He was the lighting director at the first few HASC concerts and he pulled off some really complicated pieces, such as the opening medley, “Around the Year,” with MBD and Avraham Fried, at the first HASC concert. It was a nine-minute-long song, consisting of 48 different light switches, three different spotlights, an array of colors and designs. Some of the switches had a mere two or three-second duration, and I was extremely nervous about it. But he never missed a beat. It was flawless. I believe that what made him so great at the job, aside from his innate talent, was that — ever friendly and personable — everyone instinctively liked him, and he gave back his energy in kind.

He went to Yeshiva RJJ on the Lower East Side, where he received semichah from Rav Mendel Krawiec, and he was also a close talmid of Rav Shimon Eider. Shimon and his wife, Goldie ybdl”c, lived in Manhattan Beach in Brooklyn for over 50 years, where he was one of the most popular fellows in the neighborhood: He was the gabbai of the shul, the junior rabbi, and davened from the amud on the Yamin Noraim.

His Shabbos table was always filled with guests and open to everyone. Mike Sojcher of Neshoma Orchestra, who moved from L.A. to New York in his teens, was a frequent Shabbos guest at Shimon and Goldie’s home. At the shivah, Mike told me that he was just 19 when his father was niftar, and Shimon spent hours upon hours helping him navigate the new frontiers of his life, remaining steadfast at his side until now.

Whether it was back stage manipulating the lighting or taking pictures of Agudah VIPs, Shimon was always ready with a smile and a joke. No wonder everyone loved him