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Tag Archives: Ezra Doueck
Conflict Story: A Calculated Gamble For Coney Island
Coney Island, C. 1947
It is July of 1947. The scorching city heat melts into the paved streets of New York City, as swarms of refugees head to the cool Atlantic coastline, to Coney Island. It is a place to escape into the comfortable warm breeze of the boardwalk, and to take part in the dynamic energy that is infused into the air. If it turns and twists or rocks and shakes, it is here at Coney Island. From rollercoasters to pristine beaches, the Wonder Wheel to glittering spectacles of every kind, Coney Island is a beloved destination where merriment is king, and where the dreams of childhood reign: America’s playground at its finest.
Coney Island, a densely populated peninsula in Southern Brooklyn, is a historic entertainment venue, one that is woven into the very fabric of New York. The area attracted millions of captivated visitors in the early 20th Century, yet as time plodded forward the following decades produced a hollow shell of what once was. Its signature amusement parks gradually closed one by one, as overly confident and bold investors planned a string of failed revival schemes through redevelopment.
The latest such attempt is a referendum passed on November 5th, 2013, which upheld a New York State constitutional amendment, marshaled by Governor Andrew Cuomo, to allow the construction of seven full service gambling casinos throughout New York State. There is a two-phase plan, with the first being approved construction of four gambling casinos in three upstate regions: the Catskills, Capital Region, and the Southern Tier, along the Pennsylvania border. The next phase will be implemented after a seven-year moratorium period, after which state legislators will determine the locations of three additional inner-borough casinos, with a popular option being the historic, albeit struggling, Coney Island.
The proposal is aimed at creating revenue and job growth for economically faltering New York neighborhoods. While 60% of voters were in support of the ballot referendum, coined ‘Preposition 1’, the topic remains a source of intense controversy.
According to a New York Times/ Sienna College poll, nearly 72% of polled New Yorkers expressed that it is likely casinos will bring significant new revenue for New York State, which is currently operating at a $2 billion budget deficit. However the sentiment has been, that some residents are leaning towards a “not in my backyard” approach. While they are supportive of gleaming new casinos as a reliable source of new revenue for the state, they are hesitant to express backing for a proposal that would land casinos close by, in their own neighborhoods.
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
In his widely reaching campaign to win public support for the proposal, Governor Cuomo has pointed to rapid job growth, increased aid to education, boosted tourism and lower property taxes as an expected result of the new casinos.
“The votes are in,” said NY Jobs Now, a PAC which raised nearly $4 million from supporters of the proposal, “And New Yorkers – business and labor, Democrats and Republicans – have come together to bring billions of dollars back to our state, create thousands of good-paying jobs and generate hundreds of millions of dollars in new revenue for schools and local governments.”
In return, opposing advocating groups, such as the Stop the Coney Island Casino Organization, have fueled their arguments around the potential consequences of a gambling casino in a residential area, such as Coney Island. They fear increased crime rates, the spread of compulsive gambling, depression of the local community’s economy, and an overall deterioration in quality of life in the area.
“If you want to see crime go up; if you want to see traffic go up; if you want to see small businesses go out of business- then support the casino,” said Councilman David Greenfield, a vociferous advocate against the proposal, “But if you care about the community, we must join together and stop the Coney Island casino.”
Of course, the approval of Proposition 1 is only part of a decades-long effort by the gambling industry to penetrate the New York market. For a specific area such as Coney Island, it is also not the first time it has seen an attempt in entering the gambling playing field.
In the late 1970’s, a plan by private investors to revitalize Coney Island by building gambling casinos, as in Atlantic City, backfired. A land boom was created at the prospect of a new casino, and state legislature failed to legalize gambling, leading to vacant lots and abundant disappointment.
Those empty lots still exist today in Coney Island. However, Governor Cuomo envisions a rebirth of the real estate with the potential casino building after the moratorium period of seven years. Every year, more than $3 billion is spent by New Yorkers in neighboring states’ casinos, a number that the Governor hopes can become reinstituted into New York State revenue, while also attracting tourists from competing states.
“Just in my apartment building alone, twice a month they have buses come and take people to Atlantic City,” Queens resident Albert Perrotto said in a New York Times interview. “If they take them to upstate New York or down here instead, it would be a shorter ride, and the revenue would come here instead. It makes a lot of sense to me.”
Supporters of Governor Cuomo’s proposal have highlighted returns of existing electric 
slot machine casinos in New York State, as proof of positive results that can be expected to come. As of August 1st, the Resorts World Casino in Queens has sent over $329 million in taxes to the state, including about $210 million allocated for education. The ‘racino’ has also distributed 1,750 permanent jobs, with a large majority from the neighboring Queens community. According to the Empire State development Corporation, the introduction of the wave of new casinos is expected to provide nearly 10,000 new construction and permanent jobs, $1.6 billion in construction spending, and nearly $420 million in tax revenue. The central purpose of course, is aimed at providing immediate help to the struggling communities in which these casinos are to be built.
“Granted, there areas that are in need of economic revival,” said Brooklyn native Isadore Betesh, “In places such as Coney Island, I can speak as a consumer to say that new, modern, and upscale entertainment venues will only help in attracting visitors to the area, no doubt helping local businesses in the process. With so much money being spent by New Yorkers in surrounding states, it only makes sense that we should try to draw that revenue back in. As of now, they were getting all the revenue, and we were just getting the addictions and complications that come with it.”
While there is little argument that the new casinos will generate revenue, there is a clear discrepancy between the parties when it comes to how effective casinos will be in helping their surrounding communities.
“When people go to a new casino with six different gorgeous restaurants in it,” said Sam Sutton, long time Gravesend resident and advocate of the Stop the Coney Island Casino Organization, “There is no reason for them to ever go outside the casino, to local businesses. If you look at the casino in Queens, and if you look one block out from the casinos in Atlantic City, the neighborhoods are bleak. There’s no doubt about it.”
An area in Atlantic City, a mere few blocks away from popular casinos
A highly profitable destination such as Atlantic City once had a median family income of $34,000 in 1980. In 2010, it was just $35,000, showing minimal improvement. With a median income of just $31,000, there is a valid concern that the resident community of Coney Island would simply not be able to support a new casino economically. In addition, there is always the uneasiness to the prospect of potential consequences that casinos may bring to surrounding residential areas.
“We are dreading the possibility of a casino being built nearby,” said Sutton, “Casinos bring a certain kind of element to the area, and they bring certain types of people. They bring crime and gambling addictions and prostitution…why do we need that? And to think that a community kid can literally get on a bicycle and ride ten minutes away every night to get involved with all of that—it would be a complete fiasco!”
According to an analysis of crime data conducted by Baylor University economist Earl Grinols, within five years of a casino opening, robberies in the area increase 136%, auto theft by 91%, burglary by 50%, larceny by 38% and rape by 21%. In addition, a study published in 2005 by the University of Buffalo’s Research Institute on Addictions tells us that the chance of becoming a gambling addict doubles if you live within 10 miles of a casino.
In America today, there are over 15 million adults at risk for problem gambling. According to the President of the NY Council on Problem Gambling, Stephen Block, the problem lies in increased awareness of the nationwide issue.
“Although the council does not take a position on casinos being built,” said Mr. Block, “We do expect that with any expansion of gambling, awareness should be spread, and services should be provided for a person who has a problem, or may come to have a problem with gambling.”
Governor Cuomo has promptly answered that concern, by signing into law a bill requiring gaming venues to post information about compulsive gambling support services near every entrance and exit. Additionally, it required that signage providing a 24-hour hotline number and other support services for problem gamblers be clearly posted in all gaming facilities.
“Support and prevention is key,” said Block, “Because problem gambling is a spiral that affects many areas of your life, whether that be financial, physical and mental health, legal problems and relationships with loved ones—the list goes on and on.”
The potential for crime and gambling issues, while valid, has still not fully surpassed the substantial potential for increased revenue for the struggling Coney Island in the public eye. From house to house, and store to store, the approval of the possible landing of a casino in Coney Island remains decidedly mixed.
“Absolutely, let’s keep casinos out of Coney Island,” said a local shop owner, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, “And while were at it, let’s close down all the bars too, because some people have a drinking problem, and let’s turn it into a pedestrian mall like Times Square, so no one will have a car accident. Nathans? That can close down too…way too much fried food. Close the ballpark, too, so nobody gets hit by a foul ball. And the Cyclone? A public health menace for sure– it can cause dizziness! Or, we could just let adults make their own responsible decisions.”
‘The Deadly Choices at Memorial’
The investigation of allegations against Dr. Anna Pou of deliberately and lethally injecting patients in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is one of enormous significance. In her piece, Sheri Fink explores through over a dozen sources and two years, the reasons the events tragically unfolded at Memorial Hospital, with 45 corpses being carried out by workers afterwards. Despite the gravity of such an occurrence, and seemingly undeniable firsthand testimonies against Pou, Sheri Fink remains a decisively neutral journalist. It seems evident that in this incredibly sensitive topic, Fink wished to avoid taking a side in the story at all costs.
In the eighth paragraph, Fink displays the nutgraf of her article, whereby she implores that whether or not Anna Pou was guilty or not takes a back seat to the potential consequences that may arise from the turnout of events. These are the questionable decision to leave the most ill patients as the last to be evacuated, and the notion that “Medical workers should be virtually immune from prosecution for good-faith work during devastating events…” Both questions, according to Fink, “deserve closer attention”, and seem to be the main point of her article.
Throughout the piece, Sheri Fink remains as neutral as possible. It would be easy for Fink to barrage Dr. Pou with allegations and testimonies, yet she adeptly juxtaposed each negative aspect with another positive, explaining Pou’s position and painting her as a sweet, respected, and capable woman placed into an unbearable and inescapable situation.
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Moti’s Think Sweet Cafe
Think Sweet Cafe
In the heart of the Kings Highway section of Brooklyn, a small two-table cafe is squeezed between apartment buildings, humming bakeries and lively upscale restaurants. Think Sweet Café, almost hidden from plain sight, is an intimate jumble of Israeli culture. Middle Eastern music is played, laughter is heard, and walls are lined with Hebrew axioms, flags and pictures. It is a magical place where nobody seems to be in a rush, and customers linger, as they socialize, and wait for the shop’s charismatic and vibrant owner to whip up his newest concoction.
“The number one secret to this man’s success,” customer Morris Harary said, “Is his smile. We’re greeted with a smile, the food is prepared with a smile, and served with a smile.”
Moti Rabinowitz, the animated owner of Think Sweet Café, has been in business for over 25 years, outlasting statistics that show that on this particular street of Kings Highway, more than ninety five percent of independently run restaurants have closed within the first year, while remaining restaurants have an average five year life span. It is remarkable to see that in such a tremendously competitive and transient environment, one with high rents and strict landlords, Moti and his wife Debbie have turned this small cafe into a community landmark.
“The secret to staying alive in this industry,” Rabinowitz declared, “Is making good, simple food, and serving the people exactly how they want it.”
Moti, constructing his famous ‘Mefuneket’ sandwich in the morning for a customer to eat on their way to work.
Every resident shouts, “Hey Moti!” as they jam into the small store, eager to taste Moti’s signature ‘Mefuneket’ sandwich. Indeed, the community icon has taken customer relations to a completely new level, greeting each customer as an honored guest in his own home.
“Were not like other restaurants or businesses, where the customer comes in, pays money, and leaves.” Moti said, “We get to know each customer on a personal level. We know him, his wife, and his kids. We make the sandwich the way he likes it.”
Born in Tel Aviv, Israel, Moti moved to Brooklyn as a young child and has lived there for nearly 40 years. In 1988, he decided to open up Think Sweet. However at the time, instead of hearty sandwiches, Moti served up mountains of candy and chocolates to local kids. It was 13 years later when he decided to make a change to dairy food, and it all started with one sandwich.
The ‘Mefuneket’
After tinkering with recipes, Moti finally invented the ‘Mefuneket’, a sub with tomatoes, peppers, olives, cucumbers, avocado, and eggs, all piled high on a sesame bun, toasted and slathered with homemade cream cheeses and sauce. Mefuneket, which literally means, “spoiled little girl” in Hebrew, was a turning point for Think Sweet. Almost immediately, through word of mouth, local residents flocked to the café to try the unique taste of his creation. The sandwich has a relatively expensive price tag of $8.00 yet Moti estimates it has brought in about 98 percent of all sales.
For many years, Moti’s customers consisted of 85 percent Israelis. Today, he has well known adages written in Arabic hung up to cater to the 90 percent of customers that are from the local Sephardic Jewish community.
Rabinowitz admits that he “very rarely” gets new customers, but the incredibly loyal ones that he services continues to come on a daily basis. Moti starts each day with phone calls from his ‘regulars’, asking him about his health and assuring that their daily order will be made. The moment he picks up the phone, Moti recognizes the customer by voice and begins making his usual order, to be ready when they arrive.
A trip to the store can be an unusual experience for a first time customer. People cram and stack up onto one another, as each patiently waits for Moti to carefully and deliberately construct each Mefuneket, with each vegetable in its rightful place. There is never seating space, no menus, and wait times for food would have any other store’s customers storming away in frustration. Yet not here. Somehow no one seems to mind, as they enjoy every moment, and as Moti calmly smiles and adeptly orchestrates the chaotic scene from behind the counter.
“People don’t want to just pay for food and leave.” Moti conveyed. “They want to pay for the atmosphere. You come, sit here for an hour, and enjoy yourself. That’s worth more than money.”
As for the décor, Moti perks up, looking around fondly at his store: an unkempt hodgepodge of multicultural creativity. As nearly all of his customers are affiliated with Israel, he tried as hard as possible to remind them of the quaint shops and cafes that line Israel’s main streets. The store’s vibe and appearance represents the heart and soul of it’s owner, and thats just the way he likes it.
The counter at Think Sweet, with whimsical sayings and Hebrew signs ordering customers to be patient with their food.
“A person who puts 150,000 dollars into a store,” Moti says, “I call them an idiot. People don’t come to a store to be impressed by walls or floors or ceilings. People want good food and good service.”
Indeed, people around this part of Brooklyn will continue to congregate in this unique establishment. It is a place where time seems to freeze, and all outside stress can melt away with a cold drink, a friendly face to talk to, and a delicious Mefuneket made by the one and only Moti.
“You know what keeps bringing people back?” Asked Moti, “When they come to me, they are family. When they come to me they feel at home. This is home.”
Apology For Breathing
In this interesting piece, A.J Liebling describes New York as one would describe a a western hometown, ‘back where they came from’. For Liebling, New York has always been his home, and he therefore speaks intimately about the city as a collection of “microcosms so nicely synchronized though unaware of each other…” This is reminiscent of the “gift of loneliness and the gift of privacy” that E.B White implored New York to offer. Liebling speaks fondly of his father’s upbringing, and of various characters in the neighborhood that made this city so complex and intriguing.
As if he is speaking about a remote mid-western village, Liebling describes the ‘regional’ language of New York, New Yorkese, which presents the residents as a remote sect of he country. He also describes New Yorkers, seemingly quite sarcastically, as the “best mannered people in America”, with the brightest children and the most beautiful women in the world. It seemed to me that he is merely describing his ‘village’ with the utmost exaggerated praise, like many of his friends from other places would frequently describe ‘back where they were from’. Overall, it was a very entertaining piece.
Joe Gould’s Secret
In writing a profile of the curiously eccentric Bohemian Joe Gould, author Joseph Mitchell used two very different tactics. In his first profile, titled Professor Sea Gull, Mitchell’s writing style is fluid, artistic, formal, and full of dated vocabulary and terminology. “The Oral History is a great hodgepodge and a kitchen midden of hearsay, a repository of jabber, an omnium- gatherum of bushwa, gab, palaver, hogwash, flapdoodle…”, writes Mitchell. He also had a habit of connecting a series of ideas with “and”, a technique that may have crossed the line of rambling. For example, Mitchell writes, “In addition, he was nonsensical and bumptious and inquisitive and gossipy and mocking and sarcastic and scurrilous.” All in all, the first profile is a stiffly written biography about a unique man from a stranger’s point of view: curious, respectful, interested, and crammed with unique quotes from Gould that allow the reader to truly get a sense of the man.
In his second profile, written over 20 years later, Joseph Mitchell begins as he had written the first, yet eventually completely diverts from his plan. The beginning seems to mimic the original, as Mitchell juxtaposed uncomfortably short sentences (“On occasion, he stole.”) with impossibly and comically long sentences, simply toying with the reader:
“All through the years, nevertheless, a long succession of men and women gave him old clothes and small sums of money and bought him meals and drinks and paid for his lodging and invited him to parties and to weekends in the country and helped him get such things as glasses and false teeth, or otherwise took an interest-some because they thought he was entertaining, some because they felt sorry for him, some because they regarded him as sentimentally as a relic of the Village in their youth, some because they enjoyed looking down on him, some for reasons that they themselves probably weren’t at all sure of, and some because they believed that a book he had been working on for many years might possibly turn out to be a good book, even a great one, and wanted to encourage him to continue working on it.” (39)
After he finished lulling his readers to sleep and have them simply skim over paragraphs of writing, Mitchell abruptly changes to a fast paced, casual, and modern first person narrative. In it, not only does Mitchell fully describe and record Joe Gould’s life, but he also lends the reader a window into his personality, and his life. While Gould was once an attraction worthy of an audience, he is now a human being with a history, feelings and emotions. The incredibly detailed narratives written verbatim contain the background and clarification needed to present the random quotes from the first narrative. It is here that Mitchell openly expresses his opinion of Gould as the story progresses, rapidly shifting from curiosity, to sympathy, to respect, to resentment, and then gradually back to admiration. He clearly wrote the second profile which revealed the truth of the phony Oral History to illustrate a man’s struggle for identity, and to pay homage to a dear friend who had captured his loyalty. Although this rambling, overly- detailed, and at times incoherent piece is clearly not feature writing, its idiosyncrasies and touching storyline make it a classic.
Elie Sutton: Man of Strength
At the tender age of 19, Elie Sutton was instructed to leave his family, his community, and his dream of becoming a doctor. In a matter of days, he was on his way to a new world, in Shanghai, China. “Whatever sacrifices my father had to make to protect our futures and shield us from danger,” Mr. Sutton whispered in an interview, “he would do at all costs.” Elie said goodbye to his family, and started the harrowing journey to spend the rest of his immediate future alone, a virtual orphan in an unknown land.
Born in Aleppo, Syria in December of 1925, Elie was raised in a deeply religious, insular and remarkably prosperous Jewish community in the Muslim world. A thriving center for trade, commerce and industry, Aleppo offered young Elie a world of exploration as he ran through the covered bazaars, smelling the spices and haggling with peddlers over goods.
However at the time, following the Balfour Declaration of 1917, a wave of sharp anti-Zionist and anti-Semitic movement flooded the community. Law authorities were inefficient and corrupt, suspected criminals were executed in public without a trial, and as a youth Elie witnessed brutal stabbings directly outside his home. His father, Selim Menashe Sutton, a stoic and respected man, announced one day to his family that each of his six sons, upon reaching a suitable age, would be sent off to a different country, away from the dangers of Syria.
The day arrived. With a Syrian passport and a few U.S dollars in his pocket, Elie Sutton travelled alone to Cairo, Egypt. He remained in the dirty and overpopulated city for weeks, desperately trying to obtain a visa to Iraq to continue his path to Shanghai despite his Jewish status. After finally succeeding, he journeyed to Iraq, then Pakistan, and then to a community in India ravaged by poverty. Months later from when he had left his home in Syria, he landed in China in 1947.
After an anxious first few weeks, Mr. Sutton completed his transition into his home at the YMCA of the vibrant and modern International Settlement. Originally introverted and serious in Aleppo, Elie now shed his insecurities and strict religious obligations to become a new man. Over the next four years, Elie’s social life and self-confidence soared as he interacted with people of many different backgrounds, and created a thriving manufacturing business.
“In Shanghai,” Sutton reminisced, “I was in control and responsible for myself. I experienced both the wonders of becoming a successful businessman at such a young age and the pleasures of an active social life with many friends. I grew tremendously over those four years. Shanghai was a special place, a place impossible to duplicate anywhere else.”
However, by 1948, the Chinese Nationalist government of Chiang Kai-shek collapsed and the country was overrun by a communist regime. The government monopolized entire industries, while strict regulations and penalties were enforced on businesses. It would be impossible for Sutton to continue his perfect life in Shanghai. After much deliberation, he reluctantly closed his successful business and made arrangements to voyage to America, to join his brother Mike who had travelled to a Jewish community in Brooklyn, New York.
On Monday, October 2nd, 1950, Elie Sutton landed on American soil for the first time at the age of 24. Here, in the southern part of Brooklyn, was an incredibly strong and tight-knit Syrian Jewish community. Sutton was elated. In this new home were not only immediate uncles and cousins, but also an entire population of people who were from the same place, and had the exact same language, heritage and traditions.
“It was the continuation of Aleppo,” Sutton said, “I went to a place where I knew I would be comfortable with people I can connect with. But now we had the great atmosphere, the opportunities, and the freedom to practice our religion.”
By spring of 1951, while Elie was struggling to find a consistent job, he went out with a nice young Syrian girl named Tunie Sultan. Immediately, Elie fell in love with her beauty, intuition and outgoing personality, and the two married on November 4th, 1951. At times, Sutton admitted to dreaming of his fantasy life in Shanghai, and questioned his devotion to the community. Yet, he quickly suppressed his feelings.
“To remain in America,” Elie remarked, “And to take Tunie as a wife, I had to absorb the community and allow myself to be swathed into it. I could not return to my Shanghai ways.”
With the help of his new father in law Abe Sultan, Elie conscientiously worked to construct an effective retail business, E.S Sutton Inc. Finally, the income started coming in just in time for the couple to welcome the birth of their first daughter, Adele. With a new baby, a loving wife, and a new large extended family, Elie’s life in Brooklyn had taken root.
While in America, Elie finally learned the fate of his family that had remained in Syria all those years. His father, with his business crumbling and his family in constant danger, was diagnosed with a brain tumor and was sent to Beirut for immediate medical care. In Aleppo, new anti-Jewish laws were enforced. Jews would not be allowed to buy or sell property, and repaying debts to Jews was now optional, while Jewish businesses were forced to close. In the end, the Sutton family was forced to flee as a Muslim mob ravaged their neighborhood, and torched their home.
Amazingly, his mother and some children were able to escape to Brooklyn. However, his father Selim Menashe Sutton passed away in an Israeli nursing home, all alone as his son Joe was forced to leave the country out of fear of being drafted to the army. Elie now discovered that years earlier, his brother Saleh had passed away in Syria after a battle with tuberculosis, and his youngest brother Edgar tragically died at the age of 14 due to kidney failure, and due to an erroneous medical diagnosis.
After grieving over the losses in his family, Elie Sutton began to establish himself in his new community. Over the years his wife gave birth to another boy and two girls. Together, the couple traveled the world, visiting places such as Hong Kong, Russia, Italy, Brazil, Greece and Kenya. The two immediately made an impact on the Syrian community, starting a social club for couples and promoting membership for the now wonderfully successful Sephardic Community Center. Adele Sultan, the mother of Elie’s wife Tunie, had been diagnosed with dementia and was placed in a nursing home for 20 years, enduring progressively worsening mental instability. Tunie did research and started a support group for caregivers of loved ones with Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Elie took it upon himself to become a member of many synagogue committees, most notably Bet Torah Congregation. With the help of Mr. Sutton, the synagogue has grown from once struggling to get the ten men required to have a daily prayer service, to now attracting hundreds of congregants on a weekly basis. Mr. Sutton also joined a prestigious group of benefactors for Mt. Sinai Hospital, and sponsored fundraising events for Senator Bill Bradley. He spoke at schools, events, and synagogues, telling his life story, raising money for local charities, and lecturing about running successful business enterprises. When Elie elected to move to Florida for the winters he was one of the few founders of the beautiful Safra Synagogue in Aventura. He was the first designated president and served the role for three consecutive years. He also single handedly established a branch of ECHO, an organization specializing in medical referrals, in the Brooklyn community.
“Elie is an incredibly well respected man in the community,” daughter in law Mary Sutton praised, “He is constantly giving advice to community members and counseling businessmen.”
All went well for Elie Sutton until the fall of 1993, when his beloved wife Tunie was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. After an extremely long and painful process of chemotherapy, invasive surgeries and exhausting side effects, Tunie Sutton passed away in 1996 at the age of 64. The loss pushed Elie into a spiral of depression, as he neglected his business and mourned for weeks on end. Eventually, he restarted his life and remarried a lovely woman, ironically, named Tunie.
The interview is now over, and Elie Sutton walks outside to sit on his porch. Calmly enjoying the warm breeze, he listens to the sounds of local residents socializing and a construction crew at work, as a smile slowly spreads across his face. Today he is a proud, serene, and humble man who embodies the grand strength of human determination and resilience. His gentle and calm disposition hide the man who once experienced such enormous hardships and deep conflicts.
