LOCAL 4 | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | CJN.ORG MARCH 15, 2019 “No matter how arduous the task, how difficult the calling, how stressed for time you may be, you always answered ‘Hineni. How can I help?” Bishop Anthony M. Pilla Catholic Diocese of Cleveland REMEMBERING THE LIFE OF SAM MILLER: 1921-2019 Miller recalled as icon that touched lives everywhere BOB JACOB | MANAGING EDITOR bjacob@cjn.org | @BobJacobCJN I t was an overcast day when they buried Samuel H. Miller, but anyone who knew him was touched by the brightness he had brought into their lives. More than 700 people came to Park Synagogue Main in Cleveland Heights March 10 to pay their final respects to an iconic businessman and philanthropist who left his mark across Cleveland, Israel and the world. Miller died March 7 at age 97. Among those sitting side by side were mayors, the Ohio governor, other politicians, community leaders, religious leaders, friends and family . Miller would have wanted it that way . He was a pioneer and a champion of their causes and many others, never asking for anything in return. They sat quietly for more than one hour, hanging on every word and often erupting into laughter and chuckles upon hearing stories shared by Rabbi Joshua Skoff, former Cleveland Clinic president and CEO Dr. Toby Cosgrove, former Catholic Diocese of Cleveland Bishop Anthony M. Pilla, former Cleveland Mayor Michael R. White, Miller’s former brother-in-law Albert Ratner and one of Miller’s sons, Aaron David Miller. Many in attendance nodded in agreement with the stories shared as if they had a similar conversation with Miller or were involved in one of Miller’s countless acts of kindness. If a mourner had no idea what Miller meant to Jews, Jewish causes, Catholic causes, the city of Cleveland and why it was so important for him to personally deliver bagels to people every Sunday morning, they learned the gentle giant was more than a businessman who helped shape Forest City Enterprises into a nationally recognized leader in its field. The service started with a military honor guard and the presentation of the American flag that had draped the coffin at the front of the sanctuary in front of the bimah as “Taps” played. EVERYONE IS EQUAL Rabbi Joshua Skoff said Jewish heritage teaches that all human beings descend from one person and from one family , “so no one can ever say my ancestors are greater than anyone’s ancestors.” “Therefore, we’re all the same, we’re all equal” he said. “If there is one thing your father taught you, drilled into the four of you, you are no better than anyone else, that you’re no better than the waitress, no better than the driver, no better than the cook, not better than the college roommate, you’re no better because of an address, or a car or anything.” Miller sat at the table with Israeli prime ministers and Pope John Paul II. He sat with senators, congressmen, governors, mayors, other politicians and business leaders. And he sat with the regular, everyday folks, No matter who was across from him, he treated them all the same – with the dignity and respect that he would want to be treated. Story after story recounted how Miller, the longest- serving employee of Forest City Enterprises and then Forest City Realty Trust, rising to co-chairman emeritus, before the company was sold to Brookfield Asset Management in 2018, never asked for anything for himself. His asks were always for others in need. “He was proud of his ancestry and his own family story ,” Skoff said. “He was close to his parents and relating to their journey to America. Skoff, who did not grow up in Cleveland, remembered his first meeting with Miller a few months after he arrived. Like many meetings, it was brief and to the point. Miller rarely minced words and had only one thing to tell the new rabbi. “If you see any person or situation cross your desk when somebody needs help, you let me know.’ That was it. I didn’t realize it then, but that was his mantra for life. … (he) was acting out a very Jewish way of life. If there is someone that needs help, let me know. “Long before CNN, long before Fox News, long before MSNBC, Sam was a 24-hour news source. He knew what, he knew where, he knew how, he knew who. I would receive a thick package each week of materials he would want me to read on subjects local and national and international, Jewish and non-Jewish, political, religious, economic, pages from reading material, diverse sources, the articles themselves were very interesting, his comments written in the margins of the pages were absolutely indecipherable, I could not understand one word he wrote. I couldn’t read it; with his writing he should have been a doctor. But he was clearly sharp …” The casket of Samuel H. Miller is escorted to the hearse. | CJN photo / Bob Jacob MILLER | 6 Samuel H. Miller , OCR Text: LOCAL 4 | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | CJN.ORG MARCH 15, 2019 “No matter how arduous the task, how difficult the calling, how stressed for time you may be, you always answered ‘Hineni. How can I help?” Bishop Anthony M. Pilla Catholic Diocese of Cleveland REMEMBERING THE LIFE OF SAM MILLER: 1921-2019 Miller recalled as icon that touched lives everywhere BOB JACOB | MANAGING EDITOR bjacob@cjn.org | @BobJacobCJN I t was an overcast day when they buried Samuel H. Miller, but anyone who knew him was touched by the brightness he had brought into their lives. More than 700 people came to Park Synagogue Main in Cleveland Heights March 10 to pay their final respects to an iconic businessman and philanthropist who left his mark across Cleveland, Israel and the world. Miller died March 7 at age 97. Among those sitting side by side were mayors, the Ohio governor, other politicians, community leaders, religious leaders, friends and family . Miller would have wanted it that way . He was a pioneer and a champion of their causes and many others, never asking for anything in return. They sat quietly for more than one hour, hanging on every word and often erupting into laughter and chuckles upon hearing stories shared by Rabbi Joshua Skoff, former Cleveland Clinic president and CEO Dr. Toby Cosgrove, former Catholic Diocese of Cleveland Bishop Anthony M. Pilla, former Cleveland Mayor Michael R. White, Miller’s former brother-in-law Albert Ratner and one of Miller’s sons, Aaron David Miller. Many in attendance nodded in agreement with the stories shared as if they had a similar conversation with Miller or were involved in one of Miller’s countless acts of kindness. If a mourner had no idea what Miller meant to Jews, Jewish causes, Catholic causes, the city of Cleveland and why it was so important for him to personally deliver bagels to people every Sunday morning, they learned the gentle giant was more than a businessman who helped shape Forest City Enterprises into a nationally recognized leader in its field. The service started with a military honor guard and the presentation of the American flag that had draped the coffin at the front of the sanctuary in front of the bimah as “Taps” played. EVERYONE IS EQUAL Rabbi Joshua Skoff said Jewish heritage teaches that all human beings descend from one person and from one family , “so no one can ever say my ancestors are greater than anyone’s ancestors.” “Therefore, we’re all the same, we’re all equal” he said. “If there is one thing your father taught you, drilled into the four of you, you are no better than anyone else, that you’re no better than the waitress, no better than the driver, no better than the cook, not better than the college roommate, you’re no better because of an address, or a car or anything.” Miller sat at the table with Israeli prime ministers and Pope John Paul II. He sat with senators, congressmen, governors, mayors, other politicians and business leaders. And he sat with the regular, everyday folks, No matter who was across from him, he treated them all the same – with the dignity and respect that he would want to be treated. Story after story recounted how Miller, the longest- serving employee of Forest City Enterprises and then Forest City Realty Trust, rising to co-chairman emeritus, before the company was sold to Brookfield Asset Management in 2018, never asked for anything for himself. His asks were always for others in need. “He was proud of his ancestry and his own family story ,” Skoff said. “He was close to his parents and relating to their journey to America. Skoff, who did not grow up in Cleveland, remembered his first meeting with Miller a few months after he arrived. Like many meetings, it was brief and to the point. Miller rarely minced words and had only one thing to tell the new rabbi. “If you see any person or situation cross your desk when somebody needs help, you let me know.’ That was it. I didn’t realize it then, but that was his mantra for life. … (he) was acting out a very Jewish way of life. If there is someone that needs help, let me know. “Long before CNN, long before Fox News, long before MSNBC, Sam was a 24-hour news source. He knew what, he knew where, he knew how, he knew who. I would receive a thick package each week of materials he would want me to read on subjects local and national and international, Jewish and non-Jewish, political, religious, economic, pages from reading material, diverse sources, the articles themselves were very interesting, his comments written in the margins of the pages were absolutely indecipherable, I could not understand one word he wrote. I couldn’t read it; with his writing he should have been a doctor. But he was clearly sharp …” The casket of Samuel H. Miller is escorted to the hearse. | CJN photo / Bob Jacob MILLER | 6 Samuel H. Miller , Z ArchiveInABox,Historic Photos & Documents,Historic Photos,Photos from the 1900s,Newspaper Pages 2,Newspaper Pages 2 1 Page 1, Newspaper Pages 2 1 Page 1