Roosevelt Moisés Smeke Cassorla

To my dear master and friend,
Roosevelt Moisés Smeke Cassorla

I will start by the end: during the beautiful and reassuring funeral service, the Rabbi highlighted one verse from the Torah, from the book of Devarim/Deuteronomy (30:19) “I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life.”
Roosevelt did it thus: he chose life and he lived it strongly, wisely and generously.

I will not speak of Roosevelt’s great public deeds, of his huge and innumerable contributions to psychoanalytical theory and technique, since they are public and more than well-known and rewarded.

I will speak of my experience of more than three decades of professional and personal relationship with this eminent person. In other words, I will speak of Roosevelt from my perspective.

Even before beginning my training as a psychoanalyst in the Institute of the Brazilian Psychoanalytic Society of São Paulo, he made his presence felt, guiding me in my choice of training analyst. Afterwards, this guidance continued: in recommending teachers, readings, and mainly in the development and deepening of important theoretical and clinical understanding, always suffused with great generosity which was a feature of his.

Soon afterwards, this relationship became closer when I was accepted in the Nucleus of Psychoanalysis of Campinas Region. There he was the pillar and the mainstay of a great and effective work group which we expanded and brought to fruition. That Nucleus was formally recognized by the IPA and became the Campinas Psychoanalytical Study Group. Nowadays it is the Brazilian Psychoanalytic Society of Campinas. 

I refer to this development with knowledge of the facts, as someone who has been in the front line, always very well accompanied by invaluable colleagues, and so I can say that Roosevelt’s presence in this process was fundamental.

His live presence was fundamental (he chose life) at every moment, from the planning and execution of the Course of Psychoanalysis for Psychotherapists, the very first project of that Nucleus which was being restructured and constituted as a work group (Bion), to the accreditation of the Brazilian Psychoanalytic Society of Campinas as a component Society of IPA. Roosevelt had both sensibility and sharpness of reasoning which he generously offered to the tasks, for the resolution of problems and to build whatever was necessary.

He was also gifted with great affectivity, a constantly affectionate presence; sometimes he had his fits, after all he was alive, he chose life.   

I am deeply grateful for everything.

When my father died suddenly almost 14 years ago, Roosevelt asked me if my father had been a good father. I answered affirmatively; then he told me that he knew how hard it was to lose one’s father, but because my father had left good things in me, I would have a good object inside me which would facilitate the mourning process.

That comforted me immensely.

I count on that, my dear Roosevelt, I count on the good object you left inside me so as to successfully work through the great loss that your death brings us.

Campinas October 4th, 2024
Nelson J. N. Rocha
President, Brazilian Psychoanalytical Society of Campinas