As the funeral pulled into a cemetery in Upstate New York on Tisha B’Av, a group of Chasidic men happened to be nearby. When they saw the hearse, they offered to help make a Minyan so Kaddish could be said.
One of the mourners, a nephew of the niftar, remarked, “You should know, my uncle was often the tenth man when others needed him.” In that moment, something clicked. The man who had quietly helped others say Kaddish was now being given the same gift in return.
The funeral was for Marvin Newberg, a Monticello lawyer who passed away suddenly on his 76th birthday. He wasn’t widely known as religious, but he was deeply kind and dependable—especially when it came to simply showing up.
Years ago, Minyanim were held at Tifereth Israel, across the street from Marvin’s law office. In the winter, it was often hard to get ten men. The Chabad Shliach, Rabbi Benzion Chanowitz, would sometimes be one short. Marvin would quietly cross the street and complete the Minyan.
Later, at Chabad of Rock Hill, Rabbi Simcha Zajac once walked ten minutes to Marvin’s home before Shabbat Zachor. Marvin said, “I’ve only got thirty minutes,” but came anyway. That was Marvin—someone you could count on. At the Levaya, that story was shared. And when the strangers formed a Minyan at the cemetery, it didn’t feel like coincidence—it felt like closure.
Adapted from COLlive
