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I wanted to first thank Dr. and Mrs. Strobel for allowing me the opportunity to speak here tonight. I met Asher freshman year at Frisch about 7 years ago. However, in those 7 years we really created a special bond and in effect we became to be very good friends over our years at Frisch but more so afterwards even though we went our separate ways in Israel and eventually to different colleges. I think it really shows a lot about Asher’s character and who he was- Despite going to different Yeshivas in Israel and different colleges, we were still able to stay in touch and maintain that close friendship we started at Frisch. Asher would always give me a text or give me a call just to see what was going on. We took many similar classes since we were both interested in business and Asher would always ask me how was your accounting test, how was your finance test and I know he genuinely meant it and really cared how I was doing. Whenever he was coming home for the weekend, he would always let me know and try to arrange to meet up Thursday night or even spend Shobbos together. I think this comes to show how much he really cared about me and how important it was to him to stay in touch with me.
I would like to share a few quick stories and talk about some of the good times that Asher and I spent together not too long ago. Asher had just finished up the semester at Binghamton a few weeks ago and on his way home he gave me a call asking if he could come by my apt, watch the Knicks game and just hang out. Without hesitation I said yea of course, come on over, maybe we’ll go out, meet up with some friends, it will be fun. So he came by, we watched the Knicks game and then he told me that he had spoken to some friends earlier that were in the city and we should go hang out with them. It turned out that it was getting late and the friends we were going to meet up with had gone back to school to study for a final the next day. So I said let’s just stay here, it’s late already, we’re not meeting up with anyone anyway, there is no point. For some reason, Asher was very adamant about going downtown and he told me not to worry. So on the way down, Asher took out his phone and just started calling everyone he knew in the city and by the time we got down we had plans to meet up with two friends and then after that we were going to meet up with another friend. It was amazing how he was able to pull all that together in the 15 minutes it took us to get down but we ended up having a great night. It showed me how much he cared to be with his friends and how important each of his relationships was with other friends.
Just the following week as more of our friends were coming home for winter break, he called me up to ask if I wanted to go for dinner and see a movie with a few guys. With nothing else on my schedule at the time, I said yea sure, that would be great. We met at Smokey Joes in Teaneck, enjoyed a good meal and then went to go see The Kings Speech. Out of the 4 of us there, Asher was really the only one who enjoyed the movie and his main reason that he kept on telling us was that the acting in the movie was unbelievable. He couldn’t get over how well thought out the movie was and how the acting was just so amazing.
I think there is a common theme between these two stories that can really show us what kind of a person Asher was and how he lived his life. We can fully understand how Asher really appreciated everything in life and never took anything for granted. He always looked beyond the cover of the book and made sure to always delve into the inside to truly seek out the beauty that life had to offer. He always went the extra step to lend a hand or even just to be there when someone was in need. He really made it his business to reach out to all his friends and to make sure he would have time to spend with each and every one of them. Asher always wanted to make sure that everyone was happy in any given situation and I think it’s the happiness he gave to others that allowed him to always have a smile on his face.
Now many people will be telling/have told stories of past times but since I had the opportunity and privilege to be with Asher on the day he passed away, I wanted to conclude by telling you about our last few hours we shared together as well as the Shabbos I spent in Jackson Hole together with Asher’s father and brother, Rabbi Mendelson, the rabbi of the Chabad, and other Jews visiting the Jackson Hole area. On the way to Jackson Hole, we had a stopover in Chicago, and the first thing Asher did when we got there was found a quiet place in the airport to put on his Tefillin and Daven. Soon after we boarded the plane and I was fortunate to sit next to Asher and despite the fact we were both very tired, a conversation began about future careers and living situations. Asher and I were both on pace to finish college in 3 years and were discussing the option of possibly taking an extra year of accounting classes together in the NY area to potentially receive a masters in accounting. We went on about how we would get an apartment together and it would just be a fun time before we each would go out into the real world and start our careers. After a short flight we landed in Jackson and headed over to the condo in which we were going to stay in. Unfortunately we hadn’t even been in the condo one full day until the most tragic event I have ever experienced took place. It was at the very moment that Asher’s sole departed, that we began saying tehillim and made the necessary arrangements to watch over Asher’s body for the next 48 hours. These 48 hours had a major impact on me and really changed my perception on life. It showed the importance of life and how we should really try to enjoy every second we have. We entered Shabbos in a bit of a rough state but with the unity of everyone and the comfort of Rabbi Mendelson we were able to pull together what was the most inspiring Shabbos I have ever had.
While many of you may be thinking- how was I able to stay strong and not collapse after such a tragedy and the lack of sleep for the past 2 days? I personally viewed it as an honor and a privilege. I know that Asher was always there for me and I was comforted by the fact that I was able to be there for him and show him the respect that he deserved.
-Eli Sipzner
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