In The Valley Of The Giant: A Tribute To Dr. Abe Chames (Part V),Rabbi Hanoch Teller

Dr. Abe Chames believed in squeezing and enjoying every ounce out of life. And what better opportunity could there be than Yom Tov - the special days appointed by the Almighty for public celebration? Alas, this is a theory that is not always supported by reality.

If Abe was anything, he was a realist. He saw that kids (and for that matter, some adults) were bored to tears by the end of a weeklong holiday, and he feared that if it was not made fun they may resist, cheat or be lost to vices and other activities that in no way bespoke simchas Yom Tov.

Thus Abe reached up his endlessly long sleeve and concocted ways to make Yom Tov enjoyable, memorable and something that you would never want to miss. On the last day of Pesach, Abe and Deborah would make a BBQ that was attended by many members of the community.

It was not a July 4 extravaganza; it was strictly Yom Tov. The event was not only a profoundly anticipated climax of the holiday, it also, somehow, kept everyone invigorated and Yom Tovdik until that moment. The prevalent phenomenon of people dragging their feet and itching for the holiday to conclude did not exist in Hollywood, Florida - Abe's place of residence.

Every year the Chames's sukkah was constructed with a theme, and significant thought was invested into its execution. The food served matched the theme, creating - like every Chamesian affair - a great deal of anticipation and curiosity. Abe's enthusiasm for the mitzvah was contagious, resulting in a paradigm switch for others who lacked his excitement. Suddenly, even in the middle of hurricane season, the construction of a sukkah was not viewed as an onerous and perhaps futile chore, but a much sought-after opportunity.

In short, Abe made a big deal out of every Yom Tov, including Chanukah and Purim. His idea of big was not (and was never) restricted to mere gustatory pleasures. He simply had an uncanny nose as to how to provide people with simchas hachaim, and this really kicked in when there was a true reason to celebrate. Around Abe Chames no one viewed a holiday as just a day when you didn't go to school, wore nice clothes and ate fleishigs. If God commanded His people to celebrate, then Dr. Chames would see to it that you had reason to rejoice.

The irony was that although Abe loved to make a big deal out of every appropriate opportunity, he would make no deal about himself. He would knock himself out to help a stranger, but would cringe and resist endlessly before reluctantly agreeing to accept the tiniest token from someone else. The idea of calling in a favor was anathema to him.

Abe never forgot his humble beginnings. His business was neither an inheritance nor a windfall, but the result of hard work and Godly Providence over decades. He was the first to realize this, and he derived no pride from the way things developed.

The greatest compliment you could give him was to call him a "greener." He was the child of survivors and he never forgot it. His last desire was to sound like a Yankee. He didn't have an accent (he was raised in the Midwest) but never aspired to be an all-American or even a partial-American. He would quote yiddishisms from his parents all the time, but just couldn't seem to get an American expression right.

Maybe because he was so humble he was so remarkably connected with youth. To a certain extent he never fully grew up. (Abe's most ardent young Chassidim knew only too well that if they crossed the line of derech eretz, youthfulness was no excuse. One boy related how on one Shabbos afternoon, Dr. Chames's son was playing with his friends and a younger boy from the community was being ignored by the group. Dr. Chames called them onto the carpet in a no-holds-barred meeting. They will never forget that lesson in respect for others.)

He never adopted the ways of older people who cannot stoop to joke with adolescents and pull shtick with teenagers - even their own children. Shtick was probably the most powerful weapon in Dr. Chames's awesome arsenal, and he knew how to apply it like no one else.

Who can count how many letters Deborah Chames has received from young men and women in their 20s recounting their first meeting with her husband - how he knew how to directly connect to their youthful mindset like no adult ever could? One girl, a newcomer to town, related that she was having hardships adjusting to the new community and school, especially since she had arrived in the middle of the school year. One morning her mother informed her that she would have a substitute carpool driver named Dr. Chames. Obviously this girl was a newcomer to town, for any other child would have emitted a rebel yell at such tidings.

For Abe Chames, "carpool" meant only incidental transportation from home to school. For kids it meant an adventure with their favorite person. One never knew how the adventure would conclude - just that there would be a stop for a snack and some antic, or another en route.

Some parents who drive carpool will make a stop along the way so that they can drop off a letter, pick up something from an office or do some other minor chore that is convenient to take care of while out in the car. Every stop that Abe made was exclusively for the benefit of his adoring passengers. One boy related how there was a complication with his carpool and he was transferred to Abe's car.

The kid was elated; finally he had caught a break! For once he too would get to hear contemporary Jewish music instead of boring adult stations. And that was not the only perk.

Just like the rumor, the car stopped at a 7-Eleven and everyone was allowed to pick out one thing as a treat from Abe. This boy had the dilemma of a lifetime. He didn't know if he would ever get to ride in Dr. Chames's carpool again and he had to make a decision. Time was running out but he couldn't choose between POWERade and Pringles. Meanwhile, all of the other kids were already outside.

Dr. Chames found the kid freaked out with one item in each hand impaled on the horns of a major dilemma. When the boy looked up and saw Dr. Chames approaching, he was so embarrassed! Embarrassed that he was holding everyone up, embarrassed that he had two things when the rules were just one. But he didn't even have time to consider what else was distressing him, for Dr. Chames bent over with his trademark smile and said "Good choices!" hooking up both of his thumbs. Some of the red drained from the boy's face, and he was escorted by Abe to the counter and back to the car.

For passengers in the yeshiva high school, "carpool" meant a stop at Abraham's bakery for a doughnut or whatever sought their fancy, and drinks. And, as the car was always late because of the stops and sundry, they had to avoid the school's truant officer standing outside ready to catch them. This was the most entertaining part of all. Abe would weave the car up one block and down another until a safe entrance into the school was detected.

Abe's carpool pickups on Friday were equally sought after and the stuff of legends. You knew Abe was coming, for the latest in Jewish music could be heard before the car was visible. Every one of his youthful passengers was handed an ice-cold soda and a snack. And then the fun began.

Now we can return to the newcomer to town and relate the saga in her own words. "¼We piled into the car as the seemingly too-happy-for-his-own-good driver took us home. Each kid in the carpool seemed to have a joke with Dr. Chames, or as they called him, 'Abe.'

"I remember being shocked that children were allowed to call this doctor by his first name, but I soon realized why; everyone in the car giggled when he said anything. We soon pulled up to a red light on the corner of 10^th Avenue. Abe saw that the public high school was also letting out. He turned his head around, gave a big smile to all of us and said "1¼2¼3¼GO!" Suddenly the car began to rock. All of the kids bounced up and down as Abe jumped up and down in his seat. I looked out the window and saw about 50 pairs of eyes staring at the car, which looked like a ship in rocky waters. The car swayed from right to left over and over again. I tried to duck so nobody outside would see me, but when I looked around at my friends they were all laughing so hard, as if they had waited the entire year for Abe to drive carpool.

"I began to laugh too, but it was a different type of laughter. It was a nervous laugh, a laugh out of shock. I was nervous that this crazy man named Abe wouldn't get me home safely! I was also shocked that an adult had such an amazing way of making kids happy. It was an excited laugh too, knowing I had just made a new friend named Abe. And as quickly as it started, it ended. As the light turned green we drove home with smiles frozen on our faces.

"Abe not only got me home safely, but he also left me with a memory that will never leave me. A memory of the first time I didn't care what anyone outside the car thought. A memory of the first time I felt like part of the community because we all had a special bond - a friendship with Abe. A memory of the first time I met the man who lived to make people happy, and did an exceedingly good job."

One most memorable day the carpool never even made it to school. This was not the result of a capricious whim but the result of careful, premeditated planning. Abe would scheme with his youthful passengers that they should prepare a bag for an emergency, just in case the carpool got detoured and didn't end up at school. Meanwhile, Abe secured permission from the parents of the carpool - one at a time - inquiring if they would object if one day, instead of taking the kids to school, he would drive them up to Orlando.

Each parent reacted exactly the same way - "Sure, Abe," "No prob, Abe," "Yeah, Abe." No one, for even a second, took him seriously. What workingman would take off a full day of work to drive 250 miles in each direction to treat kids in his carpool to a day in Orlando?

And thus, without any prior warning, Dr. Chames arrived at each stop on his route and told his passenger to return their schoolbooks and grab their special bag. The kids raced in and out of their house faster than a speeding bullet. And they were off, but Abe never revealed the destination.

From the outset the kids suspected Disney World, but Abe negated it the whole way. He said that they were going to the farm of a Miami veterinarian that was way north. Needless to say, any teenage boy who had a choice between a farm and Orlando (where both Disney World and Universal theme parks are located) would choose the latter hands down. But Abe wouldn't give in and denied that they were headed to Disney.

He also wanted to milk the trip for the maximum enjoyment, so they prepared scrambled eggs and their meals once they reached their destination. Deborah protested that it was neater and more efficient to just make bagel sandwiches, but Abe insisted that the conventional way wouldn't be as much fun. He wanted this to be a trip that they would remember all their lives ─ every aspect of it.

When the car finally pulled into Orlando, the kids gave Dr. Chames one giant, "We told you so!" But of course Abe had the last laugh, as he was taking them to a new theme park that had just opened (Islands of Adventure). The boys in Dr. Chames's carpool got to initiate the park, and years later, kids who had never met Dr. Chames all knew how a funny thing happened on the way to school.

(To be continued)

Chodesh Tov - have a pleasant month!

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