Faith and Fortitude

When I open my front door in the morning, the very first thing I see is a sign that reads, “Hayman.” Every day, on my way home, I’d see Mrs. Shifra Hayman sitting with a different woman from the community in her beautiful garden. Every day I told myself that I, too, wanted to get to know Mrs. Hayman.

I understood she wasn’t up to talking much anymore, but I noticed how every visitor would bask in delight. It piqued my curiosity.

I never knocked on that door, so I never got to know this special woman. She passed away four days before Yom Kippur at the age of 75. I resolved to find out what drew so many people to her.

For the first seven years of her life, Shirlee Rose Gassman (as she was known then) lived in Chicago. Her family moved to an Indian reservation, and then again to San Diego.