Dear Elana,
It was with great shock that I learned of this news on monday morning.
How can a man who taught others to save lives be taken from us.  He had so many more lives to save, and the beauty of teaching a fellow man to save a life is one of G-ds greatest gifts.
I am now studying full time in the hospitals in Leeds, and this morning I went to practise the CPR resuscitation that he had taught us.
All i can do now is use what he taught us to the very best effect.  For MDA in the past few months I have spoken in Birmingham at a charity event that raised over 3000 pounds.  The article that i wrote was widely circulated in the Jewish Chronicle, the Birmingham Jewish newspaper, as well as the UK friends of MDA newsletter.  I learned last week that this had inspired someone involved in organising the Manchester Jewish Students ball to donate money.  The ball was in November, and this raised over 1500 pounds for MDA.  It made me very proud to hear that i had inspired this. I know not what the further consequences of my article may have been.  I only hope that they are as good as this.
I have also written a long essay about my experiences that has been submitted for a university competition.  I will send you this at some point.  I hope that it can be used for other purposes within the Jewish community.

All I can tell you is that, were it not for Yochai, and the wonderful experience that I had in the summer, all of this would not have happened.  Of course, it is also clear that my attachment to Israel and Judaism has been strenghthened more than I could ever have imagined.  I am a proud Jew.  I am a proud Zionist.

This immediate sadness, together with the escalation of the violence is very painful.  However, there is only one answer.  I say this unequivocally. We must move forward.  We must not let our tears drown our enthusiasm.  We must continue what Yochai, the Aliyah depatment and MDA had started. 
Our lust for Israel and Judaism must be unleashed and never quenched.

This is only the beginning.

I, myself would be very interested to continue my involvement with MDA and Israel. I would even be happy to run the English language training course in the summer.  As a 3rd year medical student, I feel more than capable of taking on this task if the dates were right.  I would love to spend time in Israel in
the summer. 

Elana, I hope you are well, and very much urge you to send my deepest condolences to Yochai's friends and family.  May his soul rest in peace. May G-d return peace to the land of Israel.

with my very best wishes

Yours
Daniel Goldstein
3rd Year Medical student, Leeds University.
MDA Volunteer, Jerusalem, July/August 2001