A personal tribute to the great Robert Wistrich

I had the pleasure of chatting with Robert - not knowing that it would be for the last time - at the recent MFA Global Forum for Combating Anti-Semitism in Jerusalem. He told me that he was about to leave for a series of lectures and academic work in Rome where he died of a heart attack. We had planned to meet on his return. He was a brilliant researcher and voice on the scourge of Jew-hatred, and everyone who attended the Jerusalem conference was blown away by his erudition and eloquence. Little did we know that this was to be his last public appearance and he left us with an indelible memory of his charismatic self. Robert will be sorely missed. I, for one, will pick up his fallen mantle and carry it forward.