Just over a year ago ESRA’s Executive Director Yonit Gurfinkel received a call from someone who said he wanted to make a donation to ESRA and asked if we would come and see him.

Little did we know that we were about to have the privilege of meeting and getting to know the most gentle, caring, clever man.

Asher Riemer came to Israel with his parents and siblings in 1935 from Germany, his father having had the good instincts and the will to get them out of the havoc he foresaw. Asher grew up in Jerusalem and in the mid-50s, through an introduction made by relatives, he met and married the love of his life, the late Blossom Riemer.

When we met Asher, Blossom had just passed away and he wanted to make a small donation in the name of Dov Sidelsky, a cousin who was saying Kaddish on his behalf. His wife had loved receiving and reading ESRA MAGAZINE, so he thought it fitting that the donation should go to ESRA. He then started asking about our projects and became very interested in the Students Build a Neighborhood Project in Hefzibah, Netanya. I took him to visit the project and to meet some of the students. His interest in them and what they were doing was sincere and genuine, and he had a way of getting them to open up to him with his intelligent and caring questions. He then donated five scholarships to this program in Blossom’s name. He was also ready to help with translations and writing projects for us, even at the age of 87!

Although Asher was visited by friends and family, he never recovered from the loss of his wife - his lifelong companion and friend. His greatest wish was to join her and be by her side again. This gentle, charming man passed away on Friday, February 22, 2013. Even though we had only had the privilege of meeting him in the last and saddest year of his life, he touched our hearts in a very special way. May he rest in peace beside his Blossom.