Rabbi Yosef Eliyahu Salasnik, known to us as Eli, was born 90 years ago in the Old City of Jerusalem. The Holy Land was then governed through a mandate given to Britain by the League of Nations. Eli’s family was forced to flee their homes after the pogroms of 1929.

Growing up, Eli joined the Haganah, fighting to secure the birth of the new Jewish State against invading Arab armies, who were supported by much of the Mandate’s bureaucracy. Later on, Eli became a rabbi and was then encouraged in the 1950s to join a programme to study law in the UK.

Eli began to learn English, but the financial aid for the studies collapsed. Eli remained in England and became the rabbi of a small Jewish community in London. Despite everything, the community prospered and it was even able to support a primary school for 25 years. Eli was to be their spiritual guide for over three decades.

In parallel, Eli learned how to work in a neighbourhood that can best be described as diverse. The story is told of how he went into a shop in London with his grandson. Not feeling so good, the first thing Eli did was to sit down to catch his breath. Curious, the shop-keeper asked if they wanted to buy anything.

Eli’s response was immediate and accompanied by his ever-enticing and motivating smile: “No! We have come to see you!”. Eli got on with everyone, and everyone wanted to be with Eli.

I did not know Eli as well as I had wanted to. We would meet at family events. He was always busy, always trying to help – and always supported by his lovely wife. Eli passed away in London last Friday afternoon, just before the Jewish Sabbath, the day of rest. And his body was brought to Jerusalem for burial.

This Tuesday morning, I went to the funeral parlour. Unknown to me, as the service took place, hideous acts of terror and murder were being perpetrated in the Holy City, right near where Eli had been born and grown up. Later on, we buried Eli on the Mount of Olives, a holy site for Jews, yet which today lies in Ras Al Amud, the heart of what the world media calls Arab East Jerusalem.

I assume that if this had been in London, a younger Eli would have tried to have find a way into the lives of his new “neighbours”. That is not possible in the current climate. The present language of mistrust and hatred emanating from Hamas and from the Palestinian Authority does not allow room for such dialogue.

When you look back and see just how much Eli accomplished in his 90 years – for people of all backgrounds and faiths – you know just how wrong are these perpetrators of terror. Eli – rest well and in peace. You have more than deserved it.