Reb Yaakov Shimoni, a judge and director of an arbitration institute, told Reb Shmuel’s sons:
I was a soldier in the army in the Golan Heights during the Yom Kippur War in 1973. The situation was difficult, and to put it mildly, the morale was not very high. At night, we suffered from the cold because there was a shortage of clothing and blankets. We also didn’t have enough food or supplies, not to mention the lack of tashmishei kedushah, tefillin, siddurim, Tehillims, and the like.
Suddenly, a fancy American car pulled up to our army base in the Golan and a chassidic Jew stepped out. We couldn’t imagine what he was doing there — but it took only a few minutes for us to find out.
He came over to the soldiers with so much affection and warmth, I cannot describe it. He showed us that he had packed into his car everything we were lacking: clothes, blankets, food, tefillin, Tehillims, candy, and more. I cannot describe what we felt like. We didn’t have any previous connection to this person, but in one minute, he connected to us with kindness like I had never seen before.
I cannot describe how the items we received from him during that difficult time helped us; they warmed us both in body and soul. It wasn’t only the actual objects that made us feel good, it was also the good cheer with which he gave it to us, along with his obvious kindness and affection.
Forty-five years have passed, and I have not forgotten him. When I heard that your name is Daskal, I immediately wanted to know if you had any connection to this precious and unforgettable Yid.
