In celebration of Lenny Cowan's life

Recently we marked the third yahrzeit of Lenny, our beloved son,and David's brother. He passed away on Jan. 21, 1996, due to "sudden death syndrome of epilepsy" caused by a previous traumatic head injury four years earlier. He was 18.

Losing a child is a parent's worst nightmare and a brother's greatest loss. How do you move on when memories continue to linger every day? Well, you just do. You cry sometimes, you talk, you reflect, you learn, you acknowledge, your work to keep busy, you pray, you visit the cemetery, you count your blessings and you continue to have faith in G-d. You also try to continue some of the causes which your loved one was proud of and that reflect his and your heritage. Is this healing? Who knows?

At Cleveland Heights High School, Lenny was a member of the Holocaust Committee; of Unity, a group trying to improve multicultural relationship; and an active member/leader in Betar/Tagar. Betar/Tagar's mission and principles are to build the character and leadership skills of Jewish youth necessary to assist a Jewish nation. Lenny was counselor to many Jewish students and a devoted activist who directed his energy and love toward Israel.

His dream was to move to Israel and live on the West Bank. His letters to others indicated that in four to six years he wanted to move to Israel after graduating from college.

Today, Tagar/Betar has created a garden in Har Chemed in the Samarian hills in Lenny's name. It was done by his friends with their love and affection.

The Cowan family is creating a philanthropic fund under the umbrella of the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland in memory of Leonard B. Cowan so that children can go to Israel to see the beauty and appreciate their heritage.

Deanna, Ronald & David Cowan
Cleveland

There will never enough words to be said. There will never be enough tears to be shed. To all of Betar, Lenny Cowan was a symbol of what Jabotinsky desired all of Am Yisrael to be. Lenny touched the heart of everybody, yet he reserved a special part of himself for his fellow Jew. Such a display of Ahavat Yisrael should set an example to the rest of us.

We all knew Lenny in different ways, some of us knew him as a great friend. Some of us knew him as a guy who would never miss the opportunity to make a joke. Some knew him as a dedicated councilor of Betar, to which Lenny dedicated his life to. Right to his last hour, Lenny Cowan, A"S, was organizing and e-mailing Betarim across the globe. While many of us were sleeping, at 4am Lenny was still organizing Betar. This dedication, this focus, was know to all of us, no matter how we knew him.

The question of why will permeate our minds, but the "why" isn't important, it is the "who." Who was the Lenny that we all loved. We all have fond memories of Lenny, memories that we will never forget.

Two nights before Lenny passed away, he and I were sitting in a coffee shop which we frequently visited to either talk about Israel or play chess, which I never stood a chance playing with Lenny. In middle of the game Lenny stops playing and looks at me.

"Dan" he said, "Do you think you'll ever return to Israel to live?"

I responded after much thought "Lenny, I want to but not now, I have school and work, in the future I am sure I will live there."

Lenny looked at me, "Dan, if you don't go now, you'll never go."

I chuckled "Lenny, there will always be tomorrow, I'll go tomorrow."

"No, Dan, there isn't always a tomorrow," was his stern reply. I wasn't sure what that meant, but now that is echoing in my head. We must all live out his dreams, and consider what his fight was for. We have lost a Betari, but his memory will forever live.

Dan Leubitz
January 1996

Well, it’s almost here... Time to put out 150% into readying ourselves for this camp. It’s going to be a tough, but we’ve done it in the past and we can definitely do it again. Here is where we stand presently: Permission slips have or are in the process of being turned in, as well as the $50.00 for the camp fee (by the way don’t forget your own!!!) Make sure that you recruit as many people as possible to go to this coming camp. I am talking about those who are “thinking about it.” These are the people to harass, er, convince to go to the camp. Also people who are not necessarily in the group, such as Jewish friends from school or even people from other groups; it’s time to press some membership... remember these camps are the highlights of the year. Many of you were convinced to stay with Betar through events like Fall camp. Secondly, we must try to organize our programming. Now, I am not at all saying that we must have a concrete bunch of programs; we must be flexible. Plan for the time slots that are in the schedule, however, make sure that it can be shortened or lengthened if needed. (Remember, if people are not paying attention and all attention techniques are exhausted, you might need to give them a short break.) Make sure that you have three “spare” programs that you could use if we have a scheduled camp program cut or we spontaneously gets more programming time. Well, you already know all this stuff so let’s move on. I am enclosing two very good reference sheets. The first gives you different variables you must consider when making your program. The next sheet is really helpful, well at least it was to me. It is a ton of different techniques you can use to create a program. They will be helpful in programming. When trying to find a topic for your program, don’t just limit yourself to Golan issues. It is just one of the so-called "disputed" territories (because it’s ours...) You could also parallel to the area of Judea and Samaria. You might want to have a discussion on the situation in Efrat and other communities like it, in the area. You could even talk about our World Headquarters moving to the heart of it all… Hevron. What about Jerusalem’s part as a bargaining chip in this “piece-by-piece process. Or you could discuss the validity of using the traditionally non-political IDF as a means of evicting Israeli citizens from their homes in Shomron. Those are just a few ideas I had, but there are tons more that you could think of, I’m sure. (Look in newspapers for current events, ask me, or access our e-mail account for the current news in the "West Bank" area. That can make an excellent program.) Once we get all that nasty programming out of the way, we will have to have two group meetings. This will bring all our programs together to create a full and incredible Fall Camp. I will be calling you to find the best day possible. Hey, that’s it! We’re almost done! During camp we will have some meetings just to solve any programs we might have, but that’s about all. We’re doing great so far... I’ll see you at the camp! Good Luck!!!

Tel Chai,

Lenny Cowan
Rosh Madrich
Fall Camp 1995