Presidential Award

Many of you may know him. His family has been long, long time members of TBS. But I’ll bet that very few know what he has done and is doing here at Temple Beth Sholom.

It’s amazing what happens when you retire from your job or business. What to do in your spare time. This man chose to spend some of that time and energy here at TBS. He saw the conditions at our Alling Street cemetery and took it upon himself to get it in shape. We put in a section of new fence and he painted the remaining sections so that it looks new. Our flag pole out front was rusty and peeling. He rented a scissor jack to reach high into the sky and scraped and painted the flag pole. If you take a look around our grounds you will see the mulch in the flower beds, thanks to his very mulch hard work. He repaired and painted the chairs and tables in the K’tanim room and put in air-conditioning units. He shops and delivers food to the food bank. He spends so much time here at TBS, he has his mail forwarded here and he does so much more. He is also active in Probus.

He attended TBS Hebrew School and had his Bar Mitzvah here.

After his graduation from UCONN, he married Arlene Kahn, whose family were also very long time members of TBS. The Faimans and Kahns are part of Temple Beth Sholom history.

As a wedding present he took Arlene to Fort Knox, Kentucky for his basic training and two months later, they drove to Fort Hood Texas for his active duty as Lt. in the Army.

I understand he still has to salute Arlene as she outranks him.

After discharge in 1970, they moved back to CT and he went to work for Kahn Bros and eventually took over until late 1988. He then worked for the next 22 years as a purchasing agent for a firm in Norwalk.

As you can see, he was always busy.

They have three children and four grandchildren. The Faiman children attended TBS and had their Bar and Bat mitzvah ceremonies here on this bimah by Rabbi Scolnic.

David and Elana have Kaylin and Aiden, Karen and Eric have Ethan and Joshua and Daniel who lives in LA is engaged.

So I ask, when does he have time for all his interests, family, gardening, cooking and of course, fixing? If you want something done, ask a busy man to do it. A quiet man who speaks loudly with his actions.

It is my privilege and honor to give this year’s Presidential Award to our friend, Les Faiman.

Sy Kaplan
TBS President