This February IYH, I will be running in the Miami Marathon/Half-Marathon leilui nishmas precious Immanuel ben Chaim Mendel Meir Soson Z'L My sister in law's nephew. Immanuel Warshawsky - a handsome, charming, respectful son, brother, grandson, cousin, nephew, friend, counselor, camper, talmid. His parents, Dr. Mendel and Faigie Warshawsky, chose the name Immanuel, Imanu Kel, proclaiming to all that “Hashem is with us” as they named their son 18 years ago after giving birth to their b’chor on Rosh Hashana (Jewish year). From the moment that Immanuel was born, he brought light and laughter into the world. He was an exceptionally sweet baby whose doting parents and grandparents could not get enough of. As the family grew, his sisters, Rebecca and Cookie looked up to him adoringly. Spending time with one another was such a highlight for them all. Immanuel was also close with his many cousins. Whether the cousin get-togethers were in NY, London or Florida Immanuel was always part of the action playing spike ball, swimming, or just chilling with his sweet and unassuming nature. He had a remarkable group of tight knit friends whom he cherished and he was equally cherished by them. Spending time with his friends was his favorite pastime. His friends could always count on him for his honest, judgement-free manner of listening and caring. Immanuel was known for being exceptionally well-mannered with beautiful middos tovos. If there was a scuffle on the basketball courts between some other players, he would look to start a different pick up game on the side. When there were new kids in the class, Immanuel was one of the first boys that reached out to welcome and help them out. Many of Immanuel’s rabbaim shared heartwarming stories about having Immanuel as a student. Many of his classmates shared how so many of them thought of Immanuel as a close friend. Even with missing most of 11th and 12th grade, Immanuel graduated from MAY high school with honors. As he was learning in class or even on Zoom, he would be sure to fully grasp the concepts being taught and, at times, stay online longer to learn a little more. Although he would shy away from being the center of attention, and perhaps because of that, he had so many admirers and friends. He was one of those kids who was able to make things happen as soon as he put his mind to it including playing the guitar, cooking and working out at the gym. In Camp Simcha this past summer, when he shared with his parents that at times it felt like too much for him to participate in all of the activities, his parents told him it’s ok to stay back for some of the programs. Immanuel responded in his selfless manner that he couldn’t because then his counselor, who was assigned to work with him, would have to stay behind and he knew that his counselor wanted to be at the activities. A staff member from camp, one who wasn’t even his counselor, shared how impressive Immanuel was with his mature and cool combination. Precious Immanuel we will all miss you and we will never forget you. We will continue to do things in your memory.
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