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What
a guy! And how wonderful he
was to me and everyone around him. I was fortunate enough to spend 6 months with Jascha in
Israel- our Junior year in College
I usually tell people Israel was the best time of my life, and I
have heard Jascha say the same thing.
I met Jascha on day one; yes he was the loudest!
I knew right away when I met him that here was a unique friendly
guy. Jascha was like a
party--one that everyone who wanted too could come in.
Within weeks, Jascha became one of my best friends.
I always wanted to know how he could always look at life in such
a positive fun way… I envied every bit of him and that personality.
The
great times Jascha, Jay Wild, Dan Berkowitz, and myself had together in
Israel were endless. I
remember the credit card roulette games after dinner, and you know what,
even if Jascha lost, that great big smile was always there.
He knew how to make fun out of nothing.
My favorite days with Jascha were our weekend trips to Dah-Hab
Egypt. You may have heard
the stories, and they were all true. Sleeping over for $5.00 a night, no showering for a week, and
camping in the desert. These
were the times that Jascha loved the most.
The simple things are all he ever wanted.
I remember watching Jascha eat a fish that they had just caught
earlier, he was so happy. I
am so thankful that I was able to have such a wonderful friend to share
those times with.
Jascha
and I took a journey to the Greek Islands- that’s where we met Vikki
and Effe. We were walking to the beach and were given a lift by two very
attractive young women. Before
I got a chance to think about it, Jascha was in the jeep saying “lets
go Badian.” The day at
the beach was wonderful, and Jascha really made it a great day. He had these beautiful Greek women laughing all day.
Vikki and Effe offered us a ride home, and on the way home in the
jeep we were pulled over- it was the owners of the jeep rental company
who said there were too many passengers in the jeep.
They then proceeded to take the keys away from Vikki and Effe,
our new friends. Jascha
tried everything to convince these guys to let Vikki and Effe keep the
jeep. He cared so much for
these two that we had just met. As
the nice guys we were we decided to walk Vikki and Effe home.
When we got to their rented condo Vikki and Effe asked if we
wanted to have dinner and drinks. After dining, laughing, and doing some famous Jascha
partying, Jascha and I left to go home.
When we came back the next day the landlord told us that the
girls had been thrown out of the condo because they were too loud
partying the night before! Oh
we felt so bad, but is was off to another crazy night with Jascha.
He never let anything stop his fun, and I never knew what would
happen, or what to expect each night.
I
can go into countless stories, like teaching him how to ride a
motorcycle…Jascha use to yell out “I’m the fastest!”
It was an ongoing joke you wouldn’t understand- only him.
Anyway, the stories I have in my head I value with such passion. With
beer in hand, raggedy shorts, and sunglasses, Jascha was known as an
honest true friend to everyone. Jascha
taught me so much: how to value friendship, how to have fun, and how not
to take everything so serious. Jascha,
you were one of the greatest. I
will never forget you, never.
I
miss you dearly. |