When Robert met April it was a combination of a romantic fantasy and a bubbemeysa, or old wives’ tale.
The story begins about 50 years ago when Rose Kent arrives in America with her husband, Jack, and young son, Joseph. Rose, a Polish Jew, lost her family in the Holocaust. She survived by passing as a Christian (her husband was Catholic) and hiding out.
When Rose hits the shores of America, she’s greeted by women from ORT who give her food and other necessities.
“One day,” Rose vows, “I’m going to be one of those women and help other people.”
During the next few decades, Rose makes good on her word. She goes to Women’s American ORT and Hadassah meetings, devotes hundreds of hours to volunteer work and holds offices in the organizations. You could say she was a macher, a mover and shaker.
Fast forward to San Mateo, 1996. Rose, now 75, is Grandma Rose.
“My granddaughter is a wonderful woman but she’s 27 and still single,” Grandma Rose announces to those around her at an ORT luncheon. Her granddaughter April Kent, the shayna maydala, has just returned to live in the Bay Area after spending a year in Seattle. April is in the real estate business.
“She’s not getting any younger,” Grandma Rose says. “Does anyone know a nice Jewish doctor?”
It never hurts to ask.
“I know a nice Jewish doctor,” says 87-year-old Minna Kupler. “He’s my eye doctor.”
“I’ll give you a ride home after the meeting and we’ll make the match,” says Grandma Rose.
A few days later, Minna bakes some brownies and takes them to her eye doctor, Robert Filer.
“I know this woman Rose and she’s remarkable and her granddaughter must be remarkable,” Minna tells the good doctor after ascertaining that he is single. She already knows he is Jewish.
“I have a good feeling about this. Here’s her number if you want to call her.”
Undeterred by the fact that Minna has never actually met this remarkable granddaughter or that her glaucoma may prevent her from clearly seeing the remarkable grandmother, the doctor takes April’s phone number and agrees to call her.
“Minna is a total sweetheart,” says Robert. “Minna and I have a special relationship. She’s the grandmother I never had.”
Oy, a doctor and a mensch. Even April’s mother agrees.
“April, he sounds good,” she says, relaying the message that he has called. “Call him back.”
After talking for an hour, Robert and April make a date for dinner. That was July 6, 1996.
“We were at dinner for four hours,” says Robert. “The more we spoke, we realized on how many different levels we had stuff in common.”
They fell in love that night.
“He proposed five month later,” April says.
On Aug. 31, April and Robert were married in Toronto because Robert’s father has ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) and couldn’t travel to California for the wedding.
They honeymooned in Paris and in the Seychelles Islands off the coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean.
So nu?
The Filers may be back home in the San Francisco but the honeymoon continues. They say all those things and make all those sounds that people in love do. It’s enough to make you join B’nai B’rith.
Speaking of which, for a wedding gift, Grandma Rose gave April a lifetime membership in Hadassah.
And what about Grandma Rose and Minna?
“They’re best friends,” says April. With one success to their credit, they’re trying for another. “They’re devoting their time to my sister.”
Watch out, Jennifer.