Editor's note: Rebeca Kuropatwa has written an article in Bnai Brith Canada's newpaper, The Jewish Tribune about Harris Gulko. Gulko writing as David G. Sirrah launched his book " Love Letters to and from Sarah – a Memorial Tribute from her Soul mate" on, Sept. 14 at McNally Robinson Booksellers.
Gulko, who was born in Toronto in 1927, became the executive director of Ontario Jewish National Fund (JNF) at age 26. He began serving as JNF’s national director in Montreal 10 years later, before being based in Jerusalem as the JNF liaison officer. Afterwards, he became Jerusalem’s Herzog Hospital’s national director for public relations and fundraising.
Shortly after returning to Canada in 2006, Gulko contacted a woman he had first met in 1960, who he refers to in his Love Letters book as ‘Sarah.’ Her real name was Rebecca Crystal of Winnipeg.
His friendship with Sarah goes back to 1960. They remained friends over the many years but there had never been any romantic involvement. But when he returned from an overseas assignment they were both alone. Then what started as casual chatting between two long-time friends, developed into a most marvelous coupleness. David and Sarah spent hours on the phone -just like teenagers!
He and Sarah were soul mates for only 3 ½ years. Of that period he writes: “That’s 42 months - 1,277.5 days - 30,660 hours. Each day, each hour was for me the most precious of gifts, and I choose to believe Sarah felt the same.” After she died he became aware that she had kept virtually all the emails, letters, poems, etc. he had sent her, during their courtship and whilst they were together. As a tribute to her memory he reproduced some of that correspondence and included some of his original oil paintings.
The net proceeds from the sale of this book will accrue to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
To read more about Gulko's new book in Rebeca Koropatwa's article, click here:
http://www.jewishtribune.ca/TribuneV2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4816&Itemid=53
Harris Gulko, an accomplished publicist and artist, who has lived in Canada, USA and Israel has five daughters and ten grandchildren