MARVEL EDITOR, BILL ROSEMANN,
YOU ARE "A GUTE NESHOME"*

*In Yiddish, "a gute neshome" is a good soul

by
Marjorie Gottlieb Wolfe

Syosset, New York

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around." Leo Buscaglia, author (1924-1998)

My "eygelekh" (eyes) were wet when I read the following headlines:

MARVEL COMIC CREATES SPECIAL HEARING-AID FOR YOUNG BOY

If your four-year-old child was hard of hearing and refused to wear his "blue ear" hearing-aid, because he'd never seen a superhero wear one, what would you do?

1. "ruf a doktor" (call a doctor)

2. bribe him with candy

3. say, "Vey es mir" (Woe is me)

4. give him a "frassk" (a slap in the face)

5. say, "Di tsayt iz der bester doktor" (say, Time is the best doctor)

6. write a letter to Marvel Comics seeking assistance

Christina D'Allesandro faced this problem. Her son, Anthony Smith, refused to wear his hearing aid because he'd never seen a superhero wear one. Mama knew that children who are hard of hearing will find it much more difficult than children who have normal hearing to learn vocabulary, grammar, word order, idiomatic expressions, and other aspects of verbal communicationt. She also knew that "The best way to bring up children is never to let them down,"

So, mom, decided to ask Marvel if that was actually the case. She did not know a specific person to write to at Marvel, but sent the email anyway.

Marvel editor, Bill Rosemann, was impressed with her correspondence and this inspired him to help her son. He forwarded the email around the rest of Editorial. Tom Brevoort sent D'Allesandro a note about how Hawkeye, a member of the Avengers, was actually rendered mostly deaf in a fight five years ago and now wears a hearing aid.

Then came a second reply, which included a full-"kolir" (color) drawing by Marvel artist, Nelson Ribeiro, depicting a brand-new superhero named "The Blue Ear." (Note: In Yiddish, it would be "der Bloy Oyer.")

A third reply included art from Manny Mederos, who made The Blue Ear an honorary member of the Avengers as Hawkeye's sidekick.

Smith was mesmarized by the drawings and immediately took to his new superhero alter-ego, immediately putting the hearing aid back on. "Danken Got."

Other children, suffering from hearing loss, will also benefit from the generosity of Bill Rosemann and all the others at Marvel. They truly meet the criteria for those individuals who we would refer to as "a gute neshoma."

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___________________________________________
Marjorie Gottlieb Wolfe is the author of
two books:

"Yiddish for Dog & Cat Lovers" and
"Are Yentas, Kibitzers, & Tummlers Weapons of Mass Instruction?  Yiddish
Trivia."  To order a copy, go to her
website: MarjorieGottliebWolfe.com

NU, what are you waiting for?  Order the book!

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