Anthony Broh
I have and will always associate Sidney Verba with Passover - hosting my family from the first year of our arrival in Brookline. The annual gathering with the Verba family, their numerous friends, and our colleagues around the Seder table created the warmth of sharing that is central to the Holiday. Sid began each yearly meeting with a commentary about current events. Regardless what disorder prevailed in the world over the prior weeks or months, Sid’s perspective on life provided hope for us all in the true meaning of Passover and Elijah’s open door to welcome all strangers to our midst.
I am grateful for the intellectual direction and social guidance I experienced as Sid organized and led discussions among our Book Group. This small group includes some the leading academics and intellectuals in the country. The rule that we would not select a book that a member of the group had written, at first, felt like a missed opportunity to me. But Sid’s inclusive manner understood that male or female, husband or wife, Harvard professor or other would feel welcomed when an author’s intellectual investment and ego were not part of the discussion.
Serious as these comments sound, Sid’s humor and stories are his defining characteristic. The Yiddish word “dertseylung” captures the significance of finding the perfect allegory, metaphor, analogy – often with humorous connotations – to describe an unusual setting or to unnerve a tense discussion. Sid personified the dertseylung, not to mention the other Yiddish word on everyone’s lips when describing him – he was a Mensch.
