I would like to introduce myself. I am Josh Tobias and I recently joined the staff of The Ira Kaufman Chapel.
2010 has been a whirlwind year for me. I left my job in the mortgage business that I’d held for the last seven years to work at The Ira Kaufman Chapel. I had been looking to make a change for quite a while, but never in a million years did it occur to me that this would be the place for me. After all, it’s not as though I woke up one day and said, “Gee, I really want to be in the funeral business.”
However, after several meetings with David Techner and the rest of the staff, I knew that it was meant to be. There was just something that felt right about it. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that what mattered most to me was finding something fulfilling, meaningful and rewarding. Working at The Ira Kaufman Chapel has met and exceeded my expectations in all three areas. I really look forward to going to work every day.
Now, since I started, I have been asked the same questions a hundred times and in several different ways: “How do you handle the sadness?” or “Isn’t it depressing?” or “How do you do that every day?” I tell these people that it can be sad, it can be depressing, but it doesn’t change the fact that I love what I do and I look forward to being here for each family needing our help.
One of the most challenging aspects of my transition was explaining my new job to my 11-year old daughter and five-year old son. With my son Charlie, I had to start at the beginning, by asking him if he knew what a funeral was. He didn’t, so I spent a great deal of time with him, explaining what I do and answering an unlimited number of questions. Actually, the questions still pop up fairly regularly.
With Cady, my 11-year old, it was a very different. When I told her what I was going to be doing, her immediate response was, “Dad, that’s like a mitzvah job.” It brought tears to my eyes. She understood. She got it. But, more than that, she reinforced for me that I was finally where I was supposed to be.
The Ira Kaufman Chapel has always been about service to our Jewish community. That
means so much to me and is one of the main reasons I was attracted to working here. Throughout my life, I have been involved in worthy causes in this community. I see my new position as a very meaningful extension of that and as an opportunity to help.
-Josh Tobias
