This past Friday marked one year since Mr. Jack Wimpfheimer returned his soul to his Maker.

His wife, Eve, mentioned that he was very charitable, noting that the last check with his name on it was to tzedaka.

This author, a neighbor in Bet Shemesh, has many personal memories; two stand out.

First, were my bi-monthly meetings with him. The agenda always included his giving a reality check to a Zionist piece I had written. He was a dose of reality in a country charged with idealism. A cool head among those with, well, less cool heads. We would then move on to Lema’an Achai business. He was especially happy to learn that we were going to focus some of our fundraising efforts in Teaneck, which he knew well and spent much of his life.

But one memory of Jack stands out above all.

Not just any ordinary participant, Jack took “the ice bucket challenge” to raise awareness for ALS. Jack and his family knew all too well what ALS was doing to him, yet spent a “Kodak moment” with his grandchildren as they poured freezing ice on their poppa, so that hopefully a cure could be found for ALS in the not-too-distant-future.

Jack was committed to Lema’an Achai, first forming the Americans Friend 501c Charitable Entity, then sitting on the international board, and finally, providing annual pro bono IRS/tax reporting.

Jack’s mark on the organization was underscored even further in his active involvement in many of its key (and bold) decisions in the last decade.

May Jack’s memory be for a blessing.

Ron Allswang

Lema’an Achai