Lesson Learned

It was Sunday afternoon, February 24, when I first saw him. We were both at the gate waiting for our flight from Denver to Newark.

I hesitantly approached him and said, “Shalom aleichem.”

“Aleichem shalom.”

As I moved closer I could see that he was quite elderly. I asked if he was visiting family in the Denver area and he nodded. I introduced myself. In turn, he said, “My name is Harry Leebstein, however, I prefer Tzvi Hersh.”

“Where were you born?” I asked.

“In Vilna.”

“What was it like in Vilna before the war?” I asked.