I delayed writing this tribute to Gail because I had a hard time summing up my feelings about her in just a few paragraphs.
For as long as I can remember, Gail was a loving presence in my life. She was always happy to see me, and she went out of her way to stay in touch and spend time together.
When we were young, in the 1970s, Gail would visit us in San Francisco. We would go to Chinatown with my dad, my sister, and our grandmother, Imme, to eat Chinese food at our favorite restaurant on Jackson Street near Grant Avenue. Gail loved Chinese food, and it was always the first thing on her list whenever she came to San Francisco.
She would take us to the small outdoor vendors near the restaurant that sold fun Chinese toys and gifts, and she always bought something for Kendall and me. She really knew how to delight us! Gail was only ten years older than I was, yet she always treated me the way a loving parent treats a child. Those days were so much fun.
In 1983, Imme brought Kendall and me to Israel to visit Gail and Avi. It was my first international trip. In 1987, I returned on my own at the end of a four-month backpacking trip through Europe, and I spent three weeks with Gail and Avi. Talia was about three years old then, and Dana was about nine months. During that visit, I needed something to read, and Gail pointed out To Kill a Mockingbird from her large book collection. This summer, after Gail passed, I found a copy of that book on our shelf – the one she bought for Stuart and me about fifteen years ago – and I reread it, thinking of Gail and how much she loved that story.
I remember those trips to Israel, and the ones that followed, so fondly. She knew how much I loved the Dead Sea and the desert scenery, and she would always take me there, no matter how many times she herself had already been.
I am so grateful that Gail was part of my life. Every time we saw each other – whether in the Bay Area, Tulsa, or Israel – we had a wonderful time together. Very few people in this world are as kind, open-hearted, nonjudgmental, generous, and loving as Gail. She embodied all these qualities. It is hard for me to accept that she is gone.
I send my loving thoughts to Avi, Talia, Dana, and Yonatan. Thank you for sharing Gail, and yourselves, with Stuart and me.