Sep 4, 2011
Sermon delivered by E. Eliot (Ben) Benezra, M.D. on September 4, 2011. Ben was born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey and learned to speak Turkish, Greek, French and Ladino, an ancient Sephardic form of Spanish that was spoken in his home. He graduated from Robert College which was part of the American University system where he learned English.
Ben immigrated to the United States in 1943 during World War II. He traveled on a Merchant Marine ship as part of a returning convoy that had delivered supplies to U.S. service members stationed in the Mediterranean area. He attended Carleton College and Northwestern University Medical School and served in the U.S. Air Force as a Base Psychiatrist.
He and his wife, Betty, settled in Elmhurst with their three children. Ben, who with his family, was an involved member of Unity Temple, worked as a psycho-analytical psychiatrist for 55 years in private practice. He lectured, taught residents and was active in various medical organizations until his retirement in 2010. Twelve years after his divorce from Betty, Ben married Barbara in 1984 in a Unitarian service. Together, they made their home in Oak Brook with Barbara's two children. Ben believes that the power of every human lies not in a higher being, but within himself/herself and considers himself a secular humanist. Ben can be reached at b.benezra@comcast.net.
If you would like to follow a PowerPoint presentation of Ben's sermon, you can download it by clicking here.