By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO—The eulogy delivered by Rabbi Philip Graubart about Norman Manson, including the fact that the 86-year-old former writer and San Diego Union-Tribune copy editor was being buried on Friday, April 3, the day of Erev Pesach, most likely would have prompted Manson to ask many searching questions.
Graubart, spiritual leader of Congregation Beth El, commented that he has “always thought of Passover as a holiday that really transcends chronology, where time gets sort of smashed together so that the future, the past and the present are all one element as we are sitting there at the seder. The past is the Exodus from Egypt, and the present is the family celebration, and there are messianic overtones also with Elijah coming — all happening at the same time.”
During graveside services at El Camino Memorial Park, the rabbi added: “That also happens when you lose somebody. It is a transition, it doesn’t happen easily, there is some sadness and some sorrow, but there is a point when time collapses and the past becomes the present as you feel the presence of that person. I remember in my seders as I was growing up, they went on with the same group for 10, 15, and 20 years, and I would look over the place where my grandfather used to be or where my mother used to be or my father used to be and with the passing of time, they were still there. I could still sense their presence, and that is an element of Passover that I think strikes us very deeply in our heart, that people who leave don’t really leave, like Elijah the Prophet who comes back every year. To me that is the embodiment of Elijah the Prophet who represents to us this eternal present.”
Friends of Manson could easily imagine him at this point posing a question to the rabbi: “Time collapsing? Do you mean that literally or figuratively? And when you say that you can sense their presence, are you saying that they are really there, or that our memories make them seem to be there? Can you expand on that a little bit, rabbi?” Norman might have piped up.
Manson’s intellectual curiosity, in fact, was a major theme in Graubart’s eulogy.
“Passover has in the Haggadah the section on the four children–the wise child, the rebellious child, the simple child and the one who does not know how to ask, and if I had to find a perfect fit for Norman, Norman was the wise child,” said the rabbi.
“Norman was the wise child– if you pay attention to the passage — because the wise child is wise because of curiosity. He asks a long and detailed question and wants to know more and more. I found Norman to have a tremendous amount of innate intelligence because he was definitely a smart guy who knew a lot and read a lot but he also had this kind of insatiable curiosity. He had a raging intelligence and always wanted to know more. He asked deeply probing, intelligent questions. When he was healthy, he really took every class that the synagogue offered. … He had all kinds of concerns. His questions were intellectual, historical–some of the courses were more secular classes on Jewish history–but also he had probing questions and interests in spiritual matters, God, life and death. He really in many ways lived to satisfy his curiosity. He was someone who always probed and had a raging intellectual interest that in some ways seemed to conflict with his very simple appearance.”
“He had this simple appearance but very complex thoughts,” the Conservative rabbi continued. “Like a good journalist and editor, he was always able to articulate those complex thoughts in simple language — language that everybody could understand. But he was a deep, deep thinker and the deep thinking came from his curiosity — all the questions that he asked.”
There is a tradition in Judaism that 70 years – three score and ten – represents a lifetime, and some people who live 13 years beyond that mark have a second bar mitzvah at age 83. When Manson was studying for his adult bar mitzvah, initially it was with a class of other adults. But for a variety of reasons, all dropped out, until only he was left.
When his adult bar mitzvah came, Manson “did a wonderful job that day,” Graubart commented. “He did the haftorah, and a lot of the service, and of course he gave a brilliant talk — his talks were always interesting. Preparing for it I encouraged the class–when there still was a class– to open up some presentations. I remember still that I used the first Torah reading, which is Bereishit, and I remember his ideas of comparing scientific notions of creation such as the Big Bang and different theories about how the universe came into being, with the story of Genesis, and being able to explain really deep concepts in simple language — I was very impressed by that.”
Manson had worked for a variety of newspapers, culminating his career in San Diego, where he worked as a copy editor for the U-T. He also taught journalism as an adjunct professor at San Diego State University, and contributed numerous book reviews to San Diego Jewish World, which may be accessed by clicking here.
His wife Israela nursed him in the last several months of his life, after he had become so weak he needed a wheelchair. Said Graubart: “He had a full, full ocean of love, always available to her, and of course Israela recriprocated the last several months while Norman was very ill. She was so dedicated at that time to helping him, and also has kindness and a big heart.”
Dave Feldman, who worked with Manson at the Union and also in teaching at San Diego State, called Manson ”an amazing editor.” He added in an email to San Diego Jewish World:
He was in the slot, parceling out stories to the copy editors on the rim, and he knew each editor’s strengths and weaknesses. Norman also read every story down to the bottom, which not all slotmen do, and would gently fix the errors we had missed (or made). He was an encyclopedia of knowledge. Knew every street in San Diego. I can still hear him shouting, ‘Those streets do NOT intersect. They’re parallel.’
“Manson was a gentle man. A caring man. The only times we knew he was angry was when he would break copy pencils in two at his desk.
“We both taught editing part time at San Diego State, and often compared notes on how the students were doing. We agreed that the students, mostly through no fault of their own, seemed to get dumber every 10 years.
“Both of us had covered high school football games in our reporting days, walking along the sidelines and trying to write down who carried the ball and for how many yards. Editing was easier. As he said, ‘It’s inside work with no heavy lifting.’
“What a pleasure to have known such a gentleman.”
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San Diego Jewish World’s eulogy series is sponsored by Marc and Margaret Cohen in memory of Molly Cohen, and by Inland Industries Group LP in memory of long-time San Diego Jewish community leader Marie (Mrs. Gabriel) Berg.
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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. Your comment may be sent to donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com, or posted on this website per the instructions below.
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