Apr 28 2009
The Day I Knew Something Was Wrong, in Memory of Dr. Shmuel Gillis
As Yom HaZikaron (Israel’s Day of Rememberance) ebbs away, I once again find myself with the same memories.
About a decade ago I was coming home to Karmei Tzur (one of the most amazing places on earth), and when I was at the junction and stepped on the bus, I knew immediately something was wrong.
When I stepped on the bus I looked at the faces of the passengers. They looked broken, like something terribly important had been taken away from them.
After minor inquiry I discovered that one of my neighbors had not made it home that evening.
On that night I learned that Dr. Shmuel Gillis, a sweet and gentle man, a father of five beautiful children, was shot in the face on his drive home. His car spun off the side of the road, and he died instantly.
The pain and anger I felt that day is undescribable.
And it doesn’t compare to what it felt like to watch his children say the Mourner’s Kaddish in the local synagogue.
That day I lost a certain part of myself. That day I lost my innocence. One thing is for certain: I am not the same person I was before that day.
May the memory of Shmuel Gillis be a blessing forever.
