On April 9, 2009 my dear friend Emily was unjustly taken from this world. During her all too brief life she positively influenced everyone she met, human beings and animals alike. She was talented in the visual, performing and linguistic arts. Her intelligence, both academic and social, was unmatched. Her bright, uplifting personality has made her one of the most unforgettable people I have ever had the pleasure to meet.
Emily and I met in eighth grade. We sat together during lunch for the year and became well acquainted. During high school, Emily and I had many classes together. We also were both very active in the music department. We played together in marching band and wind ensemble. Our junior year, the most difficult for both of us, was when we became very close friends. We also had worked together the prior summer at our local Dairy Queen where we shared our love of ice cream and the company of our fellow coworkers. Over the course of the year, we shared some very memorable laughs, cries, car trips, music tastes, shopping excursions, meals, life stories, and everything in between. Our friendship continued into our senior year and also included many other classmates. Emily had had a habit of bringing people together, even if she did not do so intentionally.
Regrettably, Emily and I were not as close in the beginning of our college careers. We had planned to both attend Gettysburg College together after we visited the campus our senior year. We both fell in love with the school and the quiet town. I remember when Emily got into Gettysburg and I did not, she asked me if I would be okay with her enrolling. I thought it was a silly question. In my mind, I thought she should go to whatever school she wanted regardless of what I was doing. Emily did not see it that way. She was always putting others' needs into the forefront of her mind. Her screen name was "xxempathyy"; she always made it a point to empathize with others, even if she did not necessarily get along with them. I told her I was fine with her decision. She ultimately enrolled at Gettysburg.
I ended up at Rutgers University. Emily visited me during my freshman year and I took her around campus to all the new places I was spending time at. We seemed to lose touch over the following summer. Even though Emily and I did not see each other every day like we did in high school, we made it a point to meet up every few months at our local Dunkin Donuts. We would sit and talk for hours at a time, exchanging stories about our lives at college. Every time I spoke to her during those meetings, her stories became more and more elaborate and impressive. She seemed to be having the time of her life. She told me about her classes and her friends, who all seemed just as quirky and fun as she was. Especially during this past year, Emily had become extremely active on campus. She spoke about her activities with such fervor. I remember coming back home from talking to her in person for the last time feeling thoroughly impressed. Emily had always been a productive student and volunteer, but her efforts were beginning to reach a more global scale. I remember she told me that she was unsure of what she could do with her Anthropology major with a concentration in issues surrounding women and Islam. At the time, I was considering three possible majors and had not the slightest idea what my career was going to be. I knew that Em would be okay, especially with a major that needed its own sentence. No matter the situation, she always flourished. I know that wherever she is now, she's doing something remarkable.
A funny thing about Em is that wherever she goes, she leaves her mark. I, myself, am a pretty good example. Because of Emily Silverstein, I am now a vegetarian, Democrat, and advocate of world peace. She has also made me even more tolerant of others than I was before I met her. Because of Em I now love falafel, hummus, pita bread, soy chips, veggie burgers and nuggets, matzo ball soup, those fruit leather bars from Target, sweet potato sushi, and so many more foods. Lately, I've even taken on an appreciation for her favorite music. Apart from her family and friends, she has also positively influenced the many animals she has refused to consume, the countless insects she refused to kill, the many people affected by her charity work, the interior of her car which is now covered with meaningful song lyrics and a mural of Bob Dylan, the many pieces of paper that she drew on, and the many potted Christmas trees that she and her family bought that did not die as a result of the holiday season, and so on and so forth.
For this very reason my family and I have decided to donate a weeping cherry tree to Gettysburg College's garden for Emily. The weeping cherry is a gorgeous tree that flowers every spring. Em loved spring. Hopefully this tree will give others another reason to love spring too. The light pink blossoms will echo Emily's extremely beautiful presence at Gettysburg and on this earth as a whole. If you would like, please donate even a small amount to this cause. If we meet our financial goal by this fall, Women Aware of New Brunswick, NJ will help provide Emily's tree for the garden at Gettysburg College. Thank you so much for hearing my story of Emily and her profound effect on my life, only one of the many stories of her impact on the world. She is most definitely a spirit who deserves to be remembered in the purest form: nature.
Peace, love and happiness.
Jessica Lynn Weidman
INFO: Women Aware is a domestic violence prevention organization in New Brunswick, NJ. Their mission is:“To end domestic violence for all people…women, children and men.” If you would rather donate by check please make your check payable to WOMEN AWARE. In the memo portion of the check please write "Emily's Tree". Your donation can be sent directly to Women Aware, 250 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick, NJ 08901.
Emily's family has established a Scholarship Fund in Emily's name. They hope to spread Emily's ambitions as far as they will go, which I feel will be never ending. Please, even if you do not wish to donate to this cause, visit this website to see what a remarkable human being Emily was and how vast her influence has stretched in so short a time.
My friend Marla and I are currently collecting written memories, photos, anything that anyone has shared with Em for a scrapbook. If you are interested in contributing to it, there is contact information www.facebook.com/home.php#/topic.php at this link. Thanks so much.