Louise Kachinski: Ivor the Engine and a passion so strong
Dear Estie
I have started this (what? email, message, thought process, I don’t know) to you so many times in my head these past few months. And still I can’t quite work out what it is I want to say.
When I first met you it was on the fourth floor of the Students Union building where we were building our annual succah - for some unknown reason I had volunteered to chair the Jsoc and you were the first fresher I met. My first impression? Well you were wearing an ankle length skirt and singing Jewish music – so my first thought – “seems really lovely but perhaps a bit too ‘Orthodox’ for me – I bet she wouldn’t be that much fun on a big night out.”
How wrong I was!
For the next three years I took refuge in your purple bedsit in the Jewish headquarters of Cardiff, shesh besh, Simon and Garfunkel and various forms of stir fry as we collaborated all our hyper value food into one giant wok. We used to listen to Ivor the Engine – and do (in my case very bad) Welsh accents in impersonation. One of the things I will never forget is just how well you could take on all other accents – whereas my Welsh got taken for Scottish, Irish and even Indian at times your impersonations of so many different countries brought joy and laughter to everyone who listened.
I have never had such spiritual Friday nights as those I shared with you during our Hillel House years – I always felt so proud when I invited my non-Jewish friends along to see such a spiritual side of Judaism. And it was because of you that I first started thinking about the importance of interfaith work. You were always so supportive of everything I did.
Ester, Estie, the purple princess – you were so passionate about all the things you believed in, a passion so strong you frightened many but engaged more. You used to have a signature saying on the bottom of your email “anyone who thinks they’re too small to make a difference should try getting in bed with a mosquito” – it was obvious how much you took your strength from that – it sums you up so well.
Though we didn’t see each as other as often since moving back to London I always checked up on your latest adventures and knew that you kept up with mine. I always thought we would continue to drift in and out of each other lives far far into the future.
I miss you.
Lou
I have started this (what? email, message, thought process, I don’t know) to you so many times in my head these past few months. And still I can’t quite work out what it is I want to say.
When I first met you it was on the fourth floor of the Students Union building where we were building our annual succah - for some unknown reason I had volunteered to chair the Jsoc and you were the first fresher I met. My first impression? Well you were wearing an ankle length skirt and singing Jewish music – so my first thought – “seems really lovely but perhaps a bit too ‘Orthodox’ for me – I bet she wouldn’t be that much fun on a big night out.”
How wrong I was!
For the next three years I took refuge in your purple bedsit in the Jewish headquarters of Cardiff, shesh besh, Simon and Garfunkel and various forms of stir fry as we collaborated all our hyper value food into one giant wok. We used to listen to Ivor the Engine – and do (in my case very bad) Welsh accents in impersonation. One of the things I will never forget is just how well you could take on all other accents – whereas my Welsh got taken for Scottish, Irish and even Indian at times your impersonations of so many different countries brought joy and laughter to everyone who listened.
I have never had such spiritual Friday nights as those I shared with you during our Hillel House years – I always felt so proud when I invited my non-Jewish friends along to see such a spiritual side of Judaism. And it was because of you that I first started thinking about the importance of interfaith work. You were always so supportive of everything I did.
Ester, Estie, the purple princess – you were so passionate about all the things you believed in, a passion so strong you frightened many but engaged more. You used to have a signature saying on the bottom of your email “anyone who thinks they’re too small to make a difference should try getting in bed with a mosquito” – it was obvious how much you took your strength from that – it sums you up so well.
Though we didn’t see each as other as often since moving back to London I always checked up on your latest adventures and knew that you kept up with mine. I always thought we would continue to drift in and out of each other lives far far into the future.
I miss you.
Lou
posted by Ester memories at 7:56 pm
