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Josh Goldstein |
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November
27, 2000
My clearest memory of Jascha occurred towards the end of our semester abroad together in Israel. There was a carnival on the Tel Aviv University campus and I turned around to see Jascha approach me- donning his prized Pittsburgh Steelers hat on backwards and his patented shit-eatting grin- with what had to be the most beautiful girl I have ever seen: a long-legged model from Europe. Everyone in the world loved Jascha, especially the babes.
Although
I regretably lost touch with Jascha after Israel, I'll never forget
our last communication: it was through an intermediary from
Michigan who was visiting Emory, where I was still in college.
After talking to this person for no more than five minutes, he said to
me, "Oh, so you're Josh Goldstein. Jascha Gelman says
'hello'.'" Goodbye, my friend.
December 4, 2000 Hello Judy, My name is Josh Goldstein. I was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, approximately 3 hours away from you. I spent many summers with Jewish Detroit kids at Camp Walden in Cheboygan, MI, then attended college with lots of Jewish New York Kids at Emory University in Atlanta. Following college, I went to law school in Cleveland, practiced for 3 years, and then left the law to go into the family business (manufacturing). I met Yascha during my semester at Tel Aviv University in 1993. My roommate was Jason Badian. We wanted Yascha to live in our dormitory with us, but he chose to expand his horizons by rooming with an Israeli: I always admired him for doing so. The moment I met your son, I knew that he was very special. The picture I have attached was taken by my parents in Israel. They came over to visit me from Cleveland, Ohio, and took me and my closest friends to a pizza dinner. Naturally, I invited Yascha. I am in the front of the picture in a red shirt. As I stated before, although Yascha was a good friend of mine in Tel Aviv, and although I am sure that our paths would have inevitably crossed paths again (At Camp Walden I met Ariah Eisenstadt, Scott Rose, Barbi Stalburg, and my best friend in Law School;and my wife is from Walled Lake, MI) I lost contact with Yascha a few years after Israel. It was only recently that I received a phone call from Badian informing me of the tragic news. Had I known earlier, I certainly would have attended the funeral and "reunion." (as a devoted Ohio State Buckeye fan, I have never set forth in the stadium up north, but I would obviously make an exception for the beautiful brick dedicated to Yascha). While Yascha and I were not "best" friends, we were certainly close enough for me to think that Yascha would want me to write about him to ease his family's pain. I hope that in some small way I have accomplished that. If there is anything I can do for you, Sandy, or Gabe, please do not hesitate to contact me. All of you are in my thoughts and prayers. With love, Joshua Goldstein
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Josh Goldstein |
