Page 98 - issue
P. 98
Rabbi Chaim Kosman and Christopher Luckey © Esky Cook
© Esky Cook best compliment was when one of my Jewish friends went to Israel
for a week following a death in the family,” recalls Truman. “I
babysat for their four kids. If you can trust someone with your kids
that’s the best anyone can do for me.”
Truman learned his values in childhood. “My mother and father
instilled in us that we should help people and not expect money in
return. When you grow up in West Virginia, whether you’re poor or
rich, if you need help, people are right there for you. People looked
out for each other. To me, the Jewish people are like hillbilly peo-
ple. They’re just like my neighbors in West Virginia.”
Hatzalah volunteer Tzvi Pensak and Jorge Aguayo © Esky Cook Open Home, Open Heart
Christopher Luckey was the home health aide for Rabbi Morris
R-L: Truman, Nancy, Esther Kayla Fleischman & Kosman, z”l, three days a week for the last eight months of his life.
Ben Fleischman at a neighbor's wedding “From day one, he realized that I was a religious man, and we
immediately clicked,” says Christopher. “It didn’t matter what back-
Michelle McClean of O'Fishel's Catering ground we were from; we all seemed like one big happy family. He
opened his door, his heart, and his home for me. Immediately
thereafter, the Jewish community and Ner Israel yeshiva did, as well.
“The Rabbi told me to do a few things and I would flourish for
the rest of my life,” continues Christopher, choked with emotion.
“He said, keep G-d first, family second, and always make sure you
make time for your family; always give Him your praise, glory, tithes,
and offerings. This man was like a father figure to me. I could never
say enough about the Rabbi. I know he was G-d’s gift to all of us,
in whatever capacity he was able to touch us – whether as a father
figure, a friend, a mentor, and even as a confidante. Even the days
he was sick, he was always a praying man and always positive. He
always had something nice to say and always saw the silver lining
in everything. He not only talked it, he lived it.”
Christopher concludes, “The stature of the man I took care of
was so great that he was able to open up doors, knock down bar-
riers, and overcome obstacles. He didn’t have to say much; he was
a mild-mannered man. The Rabbi taught me how to pray. He never
made me feel like an outsider, never made me feel out of place; he
always included me in everything, in every conversation, and he
always asked about my family and about me as a person, my spir-
it. He had an effect on my life, and I have the utmost respect for
him and his family.”◆
© Margie Pensak-2017
90 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
© Esky Cook best compliment was when one of my Jewish friends went to Israel
for a week following a death in the family,” recalls Truman. “I
babysat for their four kids. If you can trust someone with your kids
that’s the best anyone can do for me.”
Truman learned his values in childhood. “My mother and father
instilled in us that we should help people and not expect money in
return. When you grow up in West Virginia, whether you’re poor or
rich, if you need help, people are right there for you. People looked
out for each other. To me, the Jewish people are like hillbilly peo-
ple. They’re just like my neighbors in West Virginia.”
Hatzalah volunteer Tzvi Pensak and Jorge Aguayo © Esky Cook Open Home, Open Heart
Christopher Luckey was the home health aide for Rabbi Morris
R-L: Truman, Nancy, Esther Kayla Fleischman & Kosman, z”l, three days a week for the last eight months of his life.
Ben Fleischman at a neighbor's wedding “From day one, he realized that I was a religious man, and we
immediately clicked,” says Christopher. “It didn’t matter what back-
Michelle McClean of O'Fishel's Catering ground we were from; we all seemed like one big happy family. He
opened his door, his heart, and his home for me. Immediately
thereafter, the Jewish community and Ner Israel yeshiva did, as well.
“The Rabbi told me to do a few things and I would flourish for
the rest of my life,” continues Christopher, choked with emotion.
“He said, keep G-d first, family second, and always make sure you
make time for your family; always give Him your praise, glory, tithes,
and offerings. This man was like a father figure to me. I could never
say enough about the Rabbi. I know he was G-d’s gift to all of us,
in whatever capacity he was able to touch us – whether as a father
figure, a friend, a mentor, and even as a confidante. Even the days
he was sick, he was always a praying man and always positive. He
always had something nice to say and always saw the silver lining
in everything. He not only talked it, he lived it.”
Christopher concludes, “The stature of the man I took care of
was so great that he was able to open up doors, knock down bar-
riers, and overcome obstacles. He didn’t have to say much; he was
a mild-mannered man. The Rabbi taught me how to pray. He never
made me feel like an outsider, never made me feel out of place; he
always included me in everything, in every conversation, and he
always asked about my family and about me as a person, my spir-
it. He had an effect on my life, and I have the utmost respect for
him and his family.”◆
© Margie Pensak-2017
90 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
