I am in mourning this evening.
News came in this morning over Facebook of a death that has hit me hard. I feel the need to share briefly why I am grieving.
My friend’s name was Shlomo Bleiberg, who lived in Be’er Sheva, Israel with his wife, Liora. Shlomo was a physician, a big bear of a man and a kind gentleman who opened up his home and his heart to a group of strangers who had come to visit his country for a month in May-June 2009.
I was one of those strangers. I had the honor of leading a Rotary International Group Study Exchange team to Israel more than four years ago. Our flight was late arriving at David Ben-Gurion International Airport, and we were met by our Israeli hosts along with a GSE team from The Netherlands, with whom we would travel through the country for the next month.
We scurried off to Be’er Sheva, our first stop. One of our hosts was Shlomo Bleiberg.
We weren’t with Shlomo for very long, just a few days. But in that time he endeared himself to us forever. He was a kind man. It turned out we were fortunate he had extensive medical training, as one of our GSE team members, Shirley Davis of Levelland, suffered a sprained ankle on the second or third day of our trip. Shlomo treated it, wrapped it and told Shirley to take it easy on the tender ankle.
He would take us swimming in the Dead Sea and would accompany us to Masada, two of the most popular sites in the Holy Land.
Now he’s gone. I think I can speak for all of our team members that we wish we could be there for Liora. All that’s left is to mourn our friend.
I mention this because these exchanges sponsored by Rotary International routinely produce the kind of friendships and warmth that last long after we part company. Indeed, part of Rotary’s famed Four Way Test compels us to act in ways that “build good will and better friendships.”
Our time spent in a far away country did all of that for us who had the honor of taking part in this grand adventure.
Shlomo Bleiberg was a big part of an experience that changed all of us.
Rest in peace, Shlomo.