It is still hard to comprehend the fact that Asher Strobel has been taken away from us. After the memorial service in his honor tonight it is clear to everyone that he was an incredible, selfless and genuine person. Always looking out for others and making sure that everyone around him was content. One of the last times I spoke to Asher I was in the kosher kitchen holding my menorah the first night of Chanukah. He asked me where I got it from and how he could get one for his good friend. He knew that his friend probably wouldn’t take the time to get one on his own, so he took it upon himself to get him one. Asher asked me in such a thoughtful and compassionate way that even though I had no idea who his friend was, I decided to get him an extra menorah to give him the next day. By the time I saw him he had already gotten it for his friend but he gave me countless amount of “thank yous” anyways, making me feel like I just saved the world. This inconsequential occurrence exemplifies on the simplest level the kind of person Asher was. He lived each day to the fullest, always giving his friends compliments and making them smile.
Being that I only spent one semester in Binghamton so far, I haven’t gotten the chance to get to know everyone in Chabad yet, but Asher was one of the students who really reached out to me and made me feel comfortable right away. One day during finals week, I was sitting at the same table as Asher studying for our final exams. I definitely looked super stressed so he started asking me about my finals and really listened to me vent about my tests I had coming up. He was able to make me smile at a time when it was very necessary and appreciated. We should all learn from Asher to put life into perspective and think about what really matters in life. One of the many things Asher has taught me was to always strive to be the best person I can be and never give up. He was someone who took advantage of every moment he had and he will never ever be forgotten.
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Deena Buechler wrote...