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Paul Weber was an exceptional friend, guide, mentor, father, champion of all in hardship, seer of truths and flaws and beauty.  


He was a complex soul of searing intelligence, unfathomable steadfastness, irreverent humor, and deep, abiding love.  His clear blue eyes saw right through you, unflinching and solemn.  And then the clouds would part, his face would soften, he’d tilt his head, and a conspiratorial smile would unfold. It was hard to look away from that face, so full of courage and solitude.


Paul dedicated his life to the Nimatullahi Sufi order, starting in the mid-1970’s.  As a young man practicing the Gurdjieff work, he read a poem that moved him deeply.  He travelled to Iran to find its author, becoming one of a handful of American followers of Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh.   Upon returning, he helped in the purchase of the first several khaniqahs (Sufi gathering houses) in the U.S., and was instrumental in bringing the order to North America.


Though his focus was on the inner, he walked this world with fascination and finesse.  He was educated at Yale and Columbia, and never stopped sharpening his intellect and acquiring knowledge. He was a natural athlete, playing and coaching soccer, hiking and skiing the Alps.  As a young high school English teacher he wanted to roam the world with a book of poetry and a notebook in a rucksack.  But his steel-trap mind and steely resolve landed him in law school instead.  A partner for many years at the corporate law firm Schulte Roth & Zabel, L.L.P., he played the game expertly, yet redefined the rules with his integrity and generosity.

He loved Leadbelly, Ella, Beckett and Yeats.  He valued music and literature of all genres, connecting most with themes of essential loneliness and persistent struggle.  He knew sports scores, travel lore, film history, something about everything.   He cited to connect, to fold you in, to bring you up.  He treasured One Hundred Years of Solitude, himself equal parts magic and realism.  His favorite quote, summing up a family’s tribulations at the end of a Faulkner novel:  “They endured.”


Many, many pages would be needed to describe the totality of his life, and his effect on the lives of others. But here, at least, we can try to pay tribute to a remarkable man with our memories and reflections.

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