Bernard Leyden

In Honor, In Loving Memory of My Dad!

2010-03-21T14:33:00.000-07:00

"Death be not proud, though some have called thee"

DEATH be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadfull, for, thou art not so,
For, those, whom thou think'st, thou dost overthrow,
Die not, poore death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleepe, which but thy pictures bee,
Much pleasure, then from thee, much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee doe goe,
Rest of their bones, and soules deliverie.
Thou art slave to Fate, Chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poyson, warre, and sicknesse dwell,
And poppie, or charmes can make us sleepe as well,
And better then thy stroake; why swell'st thou then;
One short sleepe past, wee wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die.

Remembering Dad On His 87th Birthday

2010-03-21T00:59:00.000-07:00

March 21 - Today Bernie Leyden would have been 87 years-old.

I awoke in Israel to the sound of my mobile phone ringing. The caller ID said: "Dad Fla".
I never removed that ID. My step-mother, Alice, now lives alone at that Palm Beach address.

We spoke for almost an hour. With all that we had to say, it was what we were not saying, how much we both missed this man. Hard to believe that he has been gone for over a year.

I still remember what he stoically told all his friends a week before he died, before he lost his battle against cancer. When asked what was up, is everything OK? Bernie would simply smile and say: "Bernie Leyden is in big shit."

There was almost nothing that my father who grew up with nothing and became a self-made millionaire could not negotiate his way out of.

But death was one challenge he could no longer beat.

And it truly frustrated him as prostate cancer in a matter of only two months consumed his life. It was truly difficult for him to address this issue that he could not conquer. Before flying off to New York, I would call him and ask how he was doing - he would just hang up the phone ............

Yes, he always took good care of himself. Went to doctors before a problem became a problem. And rode a stationery bike every day to stay fit.

He would always look at the food I was eating and my stomach and say: "you have to lose that."

For the most part, my father never had much time for me. I could never really understand why until today. Growing up in the Great Depression with nothing was something that he vowed would never be again, not for him, not for his children. He was always working. He was good at his work. Whether it was a shipping deal or leading the Jewish community in New York - he always got the job done.

I am no different than you dad. Perhaps worse, as the Internet runs 24/7.

I learned much from Bernard Leyden.

The ethics of working hard. Being honest. A family man who loved and adored my children, his grandchildren - Lior, David and Amanda.

Giving to charity. Supporting Israel. Being a Zionist.

My father would look down on me right now, chewing on some peanuts, and say: "How are you going to make money on that?" My response, would be "I won't", but I think he would understand.

As my father entered his last few hours, I played Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby for him in his New York hospice room.

He took his last breath as I played My Way.

He would have liked that.

Bernard Leyden, Shipping Pioneer, Jewish Community Leader Dead At 85

2009-01-24T10:24:00.000-08:00

Bernard Leyden, Shipping Pioneer, Jewish Community Leader Dead At 85

By Israel News Agency Staff

New York .... January 24 ....Bernard Leyden, a respected international shipping executive and Jewish philanthropist, has succumbed to cancer at the age of 85..

Leyden, born in Brooklyn, New York to the son an immigrant tailor from Poland, made his way from poverty to wealth through developing modern methods of both sea and air cargo transportation.

It was 50 years ago that Malcom McLean, an entrepreneur from North Carolina, loaded a ship with 58 35-foot containers and sailed from Newark, N.J., to Houston.

Leyden followed McLean in suggesting that containers might make shipping more efficient. The revolutionary concept was to design a transportation system around the packaging of cargo in huge metal boxes that could be loaded and unloaded by cranes.

Container shipping eventually replaced the traditional "break-bulk" method of handling crates, barrels and bags, and stowing them loose in a ship's hold, a system in use since the days of the Phoenicians. Replacing break-bulk with cargo containers dramatically reduced shipping costs, reinvigorating markets and fueling the world economy.

"My father reinforced and sold these new shipping methods to thousands of importers and exporters in the New York region," said his son Joel Leyden.

"He created Leyden Shipping, a freight forwarding company and Leyden Customs, a brokerage firm on Pearl Street in the 1950's to provide transportation services to both the import and export trade. As the Leyden Transportation Group expanded they moved into the World Trade Center and opened additional offices at JFK.

Although he did not invent containerization, he was one of the key global figures to market it – with agents in Europe, South America, the Middle-East and Asia."

Bernard Leyden became a leading figure in the Jewish community.

"My father raised millions of dollars through the International Shipping Division of UJA Federation in New York," said the younger Leyden who resides in Israel and works as an Internet public relations, SEO marketing pioneer and journalist.

"The money my father contributed and raised went to impoverished Jews in the New York area and to the Israel Emergency Fund, which aids Israel during war time. At one point he served as a shipping consultant to Israel's Ministry of Defense."

Leyden says that his father Bernard was a loving and dedicated father.

"My dad grew up in the Great Depression. This left a profound impact on him. He would work 18 hour days to make sure that there was food on the family table. He also had several friends who were Holocaust survivors. He became active in both Temple Shalom in Westbury, New York and volunteered hundreds of hours with the United Jewish Appeal. He became a supporter of several Jewish and Israel organizations including the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Magan David Adom and the Simon Wiesenthal Center."

Bernard Leyden overcame a stuttering disorder at an early age to become one of the most effective public speakers for the shipping industry and Israel. Bernard Leyden served as a international shipping consultant to Chase Bank lecturing to hundreds of business leaders.

"My father was a brave and elegant man who understood and was able to reach out to everyone around him. He had a gift of making people smile. He stands as an inspiration today as both a family man and industry leader who created a better quality of life from New York, London and Madrid to Tel Aviv, Tokyo and Paris."

Bernard Leyden, who was married to Helen Katzman, is survived today by his wife Alice, his sons Joel and Bryan, and his grandchildren Lior, David, Amanda, Loren and Brandon.

Bernard, who had resided in both New York City and Palm Beach, Florida, was brother to Tillie and the late Henry Leyden. He was cherished by Alice's children Harry (Laurie) Gray; grandfather to Charlie and Max and Robert (Karen) Gray; grandpa to Caroline and Alexander.

Funeral takes place tomorrow, Sunday, January 25, 2009 12 noon at Riverside Chapel, 55 North Station Plaza, Great Neck, New York.

Funeral of Bernard Leyden

2009-01-23T07:41:00.001-08:00

Funeral of

Bernard Leyden

The funeral of Bernard Leyden, father of Joel and Brian, husband of Alice, will be taking place:

Sunday, January 25th in New York.

If you are a relative or friend and wish to attend the funeral please contact Joel Leyden at joel.leyden@gmail.com

Funeral Sunday, January 25, 2009 12 noon at Riverside Chapel, 55 North Station Plaza, Great Neck, New York.

Bernard Leyden - Father, Husband, Grandfather - 1923-2009

2009-01-22T21:06:00.000-08:00

Bernard Leyden
Father, Husband, Grandfather
1923-2009

Funeral arrangements to be announced.

The wishes of Joel Leyden is that you donate to the:
UJA / UJC Israel Emergency Fund
http://www.ujc.org/page.aspx?id=121904

A Tribute to Bernard Leyden - As He Fights Cancer

2009-01-22T03:28:00.000-08:00

Death Be Not Proud

by John Donne
(1572-1631)

DEATH be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadfull, for, thou art not so,
For, those, whom thou think'st, thou dost overthrow,
Die not, poore death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleepe, which but thy pictures bee,
Much pleasure, then from thee, much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee doe goe,
Rest of their bones, and soules deliverie.
Thou art slave to Fate, Chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poyson, warre, and sicknesse dwell,
And poppie, or charmes can make us sleepe as well,
And better then thy stroake; why swell'st thou then;
One short sleepe past, wee wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die.

###

Messages sent to Bernard Leyden

2009-01-20T12:18:00.000-08:00

Messages to the Leyden Family

Joel, I would like to send my regards to your dad and wish him the best at this critical point in his life. He will always have a warm spot in my heart. I always appreciated everything he did for me in my early work life and helped me make the transition from leaving the womb so to speak,to entering the real world. My thought and prayers go out to him and you and your whole family. Best regards, Gary

Kevin Ross at 3:50pm January 20
may you fight and fight it till your free,of it g-d bless you dont give up

Aryeh Bauman at 7:05pm January 20
Fight and fight!Your dad will it pull it through joel!

Debra Harkins at 8:02pm January 20
may you receive what you need and I am glad your son is coming to your side

Jo Simons at 8:49pm January 20
Bernie, you have an amazing son! Enjoy every second together, and keep up the good fight - the world needs you good folk here, leading the way for peace, education, love, and humanity to grow!

Joel Leyden at 12:30pm January 20
Joey - thanks. My father is now in a hospice. It's a matter of hours. I will cherish the good he did for his family, the Jewish community and Israel.

Joey Peled Hadad at 12:33pm January 20
May his last moments be peaceful, and I hope he is proud of his accomplishments and of yours. Safe flight.

Frank Abrams at 12:36pm January 20
thoughts with you

Irit Levy at 12:38pm January 20
Thinking of you at this difficult time Joel - love, Jeremy and Irit.

Natasha Letham at 12:45pm January 20
So sorry to hear that Joel about your Dad..As for the rest very true.

Yonatann Daniel at 12:58pm January 20
Sorry to hear :( WE are with you!

Bob Carroll at 12:59pm January 20
I am sorry to hear this news and we will be thinking of you all during the coming hours...

Joe Paul at 1:23pm January 20
Refuah schle'ema for you and your father.

Brenda Priedon at 1:33pm January 20
Joel I just want to tell you that Sam and I are thinking of you and wishing you and your family strength and comfort at this horrible time. Have a safe journey and please accept all the support that I know is coming your way. xx

Aviv Borenstein at 3:44pm January 20
Joel, i read what you said about your ill father, i'm wishing you and your family all the happiness in the world, and from now only good will rise.

Todd Shikora at 4:19pm January 20
My thoughts are with you, Joel.

Ariel Wolkowicki at 4:22pm January 20
when one is close to the end. that is when life starts to main the most.

Shoshana Michael Zucker at 6:10pm January 20
Our prayers are with you.

Simone Priedon at 6:14pm January 20
My thoughts are with you and your family at this difficult time.

Write a comment...

Bernie Leyden - please post a message.

2009-01-20T01:43:00.000-08:00

Today, Bernie Leyden is fighting advanced cancer.

If you care to post a message to Bernie, please write to: joel.leyden@gmail.com

My Dad - Bernard Leyden

2008-12-05T15:14:00.000-08:00

Alice, Joel and Bernard Leyden

Bernard Leyden was born in New York in 1927. The son of Isidore Levy, a Russian immigrant who came to New York from Minsk.

As a boy, Bernie excelled in school. He served in the U.S. Merchant Marine during World War 2.

After the war, Bernie set up Leyden Shipping and Leyden Customs - international freight forwarding and custom house brokerage. His business partner on the import side was Harold Dichter.

Leyden Shipping was first established with offices on Pearl Street in New York. As the business expanded, offices were moved into One World Trade Center where the Leyden Group rented a half floor and established offices at JFK Airport.

Bernard Leyden was a Jewish community leader, both with his Temple and with the United Jewish Appeal where he raised millions of dollars for poor Jews in the US and for the State of Israel. Bernie was a respected philanthropist with several Jewish organizations in both the US and in Israel - including being an avid supporter of AIPAC.

Bernard Leyden has also worked with the Israel Ministry of Defense as a transportation logistics consultant.

Bernard Leyden was married to Helen Katzman who passed away from heart disease. They had two children, Brian and Joel Leyden. Bernie and Helen first lived in Mineola, New York, moving to Westbury and then Old Westbury, New York.

Brian, who lives in Great Neck, New York took over Leyden Shipping and created Odyssey Chartering upon Bernie's retirement. His son Joel, a journalist, international media consultant and Internet marketing pioneer, moved to Israel in 1987.

Today, Bernie is married to his wife Alice. They reside in New York City and Palm Beach, Florida.