Remembering Yudi: A Way To Keep Yudi Dukes Alive

A week ago, the Dukes family requested stories and memories of Yudi, in advance of his Yahrzeit on 8 Shevat. 

This is one of the many emails Mrs. Sarah Dukes received:

“It seemed like the entire world was davening for a refuah sheleima for Yudi Dukes. We all wanted to do something-anything- to tip the scales in his favor. 

One day someone told me that there was a campaign to sign up with JNet as a zechus for a refuah sheleima for Yudi. This was something that he had started and was very active with, even when he was so sick. 

I had heard of JNet before and always thought that it was something very nice. But something for “others”. After all… I was  shy, and didn’t really have much to offer. Or so I thought at the time…

I was a busy mother, taking care of young children, including a child who was unwell at the time. We never knew when there would be an unscheduled doctor visit or hospital stay. I didn’t think that I would be able to stick to a scheduled time.

It took me a few days of soul searching to realize that these were all excuses. If I really wanted it, we could make it work. 

I signed up and specified that I was committed to making this work, but would need flexibility. As the days stretched on, waiting for a chavrusa to be found, I started doubting myself, not sure if this had really been such a good idea after all. 

All my doubts were washed away when I was finally contacted with the name of my chavrusa. I swallowed my nervousness and made the first call. A sweet lady answered the phone. 

She was so agreeable and flexible. We decided on what we would learn and immediately saw that we were a good match. 

We’ve been learning for a while now. There have been ups and downs and times when one of us could not make it. 

We’ve changed times around to fit both of our schedules. We’ve both had to cancel some sessions for various reasons. 

Through it all, our bond has deepened as we support each other in many more ways than just the learning. 

We learn and we grow and we share our lives. We both look forward to the time we spend together. 

Lately, when it hasn’t worked for us to learn together that week, I’ll write a short dvar Torah and send it to my new friend. 

It’s a way to keep connected. 

It’s a way to support each other. 

It’s a way to keep Yudi Dukes alive. 

Hashem, we are all doing our part. 

We are waiting for You now. 

We are all ready for Moshiach. 

We want Moshiach now!”

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The Dukes family are receiving beautiful letters like these from people around the world who knew and were impacted by Yudi.

Send yours to rememberingyudi@gmail.com.