Page 120 - issue
P. 120
Rebbetzin I will never forget the silent plane ride
Jungreis that my husband and I and all of Yonah’s
CARED siblings experienced flying to Israel on
Mby Freda Goldman Thanksgiving Day. After spending the
y son, Yonah, was killed in a route to work, in an unfamiliar area. After seven days of shiva in my son’s home in
car accident in Israel the day turning around to get back on his regular Kiryat Arba, the return flight was equally
before Thanksgiving, 2007. route, a speeding truck hit his car. quiet. We were all weighed down with
He had performed an act of sorrow and trauma. We were engrossed in
kindness by stopping for a My son was still alive when an IDF our mourning and the world ceased for
woman who was getting rabbi came to his side and called Magen us. It was so, so difficult for us to under-
drenched while waiting for a David Adom and the police. stand this tragedy. How could such a
Unfortunately, the fire truck which was good neshama, Yonah, who loved Israel,
needed to extract him from the car did studied there, made aliyah, married, and
had a young child be killed so suddenly,
ride. Though Yonah was on not arrive in time to save him. My son at such a young age of 24 years?
his way to work, he offered the woman a said Shema with the rabbi and passed During shloshim, the 30-day mourn-
ing period, two of my daughters attend-
ride to a gas station where she could stay away. All this was relayed to us at the ed a talk by Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis,
a”h, about her new book, Life is a Test.
dry while waiting for a bus. shiva by the woman and the rabbi who They had just finished reading the book
and eagerly wanted to speak to her
The gas station was out of his usual saw him last. about their challenges. After her moving
presentation, my daughters greeted the
Rebbetzin and told her they were in
middle of shloshim for their brother.
She encouraged them to tell her about
AN EMAIL and love for Eretz Yisrael. When I plead- Road in Israel” program by The
CONVERSATION ed with him to return to U.S. he would Associated.
say, “Home, Ima, is here, and even if I die
by Freda Goldman here in Kiryat Arba, I can tell Hashem I Last year, an article appeared in
did what He told me to.” Yonah’s story of Haaretz identifying 100 deathtrap road
REBBETZIN JUNGREIS WROTE an how he lived and how he died appeared spots all over Israel. The blind spot on
article about Yonah in the Jewish Press in the Jerusalem Post, Hamodia, Jewish the Kiryat Gat/Beit Guvrin road has
in 2008. This is the email conversation Press, and Where What When, a frum killed too many Jews and should either
between Rebbetzin Jungreis and me. It magazine in Baltimore, and it moved be repaired or at least have a warning
was found recently by my son-in-law. many people. Some people emailed me sign. Since Israeli governments are
Wow, what a find! I was in such a daze through Yona’s website (www.yonahgold- deaf to the cries of their people,
at the time that I don’t even remember man.com) and told me that they want to American Jews need to demand pro-
these emails. It has taken all these years emulate his chesed, his dedication to tection – not only from Arabs but also
for me to recoup from being knocked Israel, and his cheerfulness. from Israeli roads and Israeli speeding
down by this painful shock. Even when drivers.
I was writing the above article, I still As you stated, Rebbetzin, my
experienced the pain. Recounting of the nechama will come if his death prevents Thank you for caring and giving us
story opened some wounds that I want- the needless sacrifice of other Jews on all chizuk. May Hashem continue to
ed to keep in a special corner to be Israel’s neglected, dangerous roads. grant you strength to be the spokesper-
revisited only in November, on Yona’s Twenty-five percent more Jews have son for klal Yisrael.
yahrzheit. I guess that certain agonizing been killed on Israeli roads than from all
tug never disappears. the Arab-Israeli wars combined – almost Freda Goldman
30,000 since 1948. There was a Jewish and Bruce Goldman
◆◆◆ radio program in Baltimore that dis-
cussed this horrendous problem in Dear Mrs. Goldman:
Dear Rebbetzin Jungreis, Israel. A few callers suggested that The You left a very deep impression on
I am grateful to you for writing about Associated earmark some of its funds
given to Israel to the maintenance of me – you are truly a magnificent moth-
our kind, idealistic Yonah in the Jewish roads, signs, and monitoring speed. er. May Hashem be with you….May He
Press. You are right that he was an amaz- Other callers suggested an “Adopt a grant you nechama, and may your won-
ing young man who impacted everyone derful son, Yonah, have an aliyah for his
with his cheerfulness, love for Hashem, neshama.
Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis
116 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
Jungreis that my husband and I and all of Yonah’s
CARED siblings experienced flying to Israel on
Mby Freda Goldman Thanksgiving Day. After spending the
y son, Yonah, was killed in a route to work, in an unfamiliar area. After seven days of shiva in my son’s home in
car accident in Israel the day turning around to get back on his regular Kiryat Arba, the return flight was equally
before Thanksgiving, 2007. route, a speeding truck hit his car. quiet. We were all weighed down with
He had performed an act of sorrow and trauma. We were engrossed in
kindness by stopping for a My son was still alive when an IDF our mourning and the world ceased for
woman who was getting rabbi came to his side and called Magen us. It was so, so difficult for us to under-
drenched while waiting for a David Adom and the police. stand this tragedy. How could such a
Unfortunately, the fire truck which was good neshama, Yonah, who loved Israel,
needed to extract him from the car did studied there, made aliyah, married, and
had a young child be killed so suddenly,
ride. Though Yonah was on not arrive in time to save him. My son at such a young age of 24 years?
his way to work, he offered the woman a said Shema with the rabbi and passed During shloshim, the 30-day mourn-
ing period, two of my daughters attend-
ride to a gas station where she could stay away. All this was relayed to us at the ed a talk by Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis,
a”h, about her new book, Life is a Test.
dry while waiting for a bus. shiva by the woman and the rabbi who They had just finished reading the book
and eagerly wanted to speak to her
The gas station was out of his usual saw him last. about their challenges. After her moving
presentation, my daughters greeted the
Rebbetzin and told her they were in
middle of shloshim for their brother.
She encouraged them to tell her about
AN EMAIL and love for Eretz Yisrael. When I plead- Road in Israel” program by The
CONVERSATION ed with him to return to U.S. he would Associated.
say, “Home, Ima, is here, and even if I die
by Freda Goldman here in Kiryat Arba, I can tell Hashem I Last year, an article appeared in
did what He told me to.” Yonah’s story of Haaretz identifying 100 deathtrap road
REBBETZIN JUNGREIS WROTE an how he lived and how he died appeared spots all over Israel. The blind spot on
article about Yonah in the Jewish Press in the Jerusalem Post, Hamodia, Jewish the Kiryat Gat/Beit Guvrin road has
in 2008. This is the email conversation Press, and Where What When, a frum killed too many Jews and should either
between Rebbetzin Jungreis and me. It magazine in Baltimore, and it moved be repaired or at least have a warning
was found recently by my son-in-law. many people. Some people emailed me sign. Since Israeli governments are
Wow, what a find! I was in such a daze through Yona’s website (www.yonahgold- deaf to the cries of their people,
at the time that I don’t even remember man.com) and told me that they want to American Jews need to demand pro-
these emails. It has taken all these years emulate his chesed, his dedication to tection – not only from Arabs but also
for me to recoup from being knocked Israel, and his cheerfulness. from Israeli roads and Israeli speeding
down by this painful shock. Even when drivers.
I was writing the above article, I still As you stated, Rebbetzin, my
experienced the pain. Recounting of the nechama will come if his death prevents Thank you for caring and giving us
story opened some wounds that I want- the needless sacrifice of other Jews on all chizuk. May Hashem continue to
ed to keep in a special corner to be Israel’s neglected, dangerous roads. grant you strength to be the spokesper-
revisited only in November, on Yona’s Twenty-five percent more Jews have son for klal Yisrael.
yahrzheit. I guess that certain agonizing been killed on Israeli roads than from all
tug never disappears. the Arab-Israeli wars combined – almost Freda Goldman
30,000 since 1948. There was a Jewish and Bruce Goldman
◆◆◆ radio program in Baltimore that dis-
cussed this horrendous problem in Dear Mrs. Goldman:
Dear Rebbetzin Jungreis, Israel. A few callers suggested that The You left a very deep impression on
I am grateful to you for writing about Associated earmark some of its funds
given to Israel to the maintenance of me – you are truly a magnificent moth-
our kind, idealistic Yonah in the Jewish roads, signs, and monitoring speed. er. May Hashem be with you….May He
Press. You are right that he was an amaz- Other callers suggested an “Adopt a grant you nechama, and may your won-
ing young man who impacted everyone derful son, Yonah, have an aliyah for his
with his cheerfulness, love for Hashem, neshama.
Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis
116 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
