Shlomo Bentin died in a traffic accident on July 13th 2012. Shlomo was an amazing man and had a great impact not only on psychological and brain science but also directly on the lives of so many people. He had a unique passion for life and for scientific discovery. He was a strong man with a soft heart and his exuberant presence was always felt and admired.

This blog is a place where people can share their experiences and memories of Shlomo. He was an extremely lively man who cherished his family, friends, work and academic accomplishments and we hope this blog will help to celebrate his life as he always did. To contribute, please send your text to Ani Flevaris and Ayelet Landau directly or at remembering.shlomo[at] gmail.com

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

From Tali Shrem


When I first met Shlomo, to say that I was intimidated by him would be an understatement: me, an undergraduate student interested in taking his seminar, and him, an important professor, elegantly dressed (not very common in Israel), in his beautiful office. He seemed strict and serious sitting at his huge desk… In fact at our first meeting I was afraid to speak. Nonetheless, following this meeting I took his seminar, deeply impressed by his research and by my first impression of his personality. Years later, when occasionally I was reminded of this first impression I had of him (mainly when he asked questions at the cognitive colloquium at the psychology department) it made me laugh.

As a graduate student at the "twin" lab I quickly realized how misleading first impressions can be, and how my image of Shlomo did not reflect who he actually was. I realized that he was so much more than a brilliant scientist, and certainly not someone to fear. By often entering our lab, sharing funny stories, asking about our lives, about our research, and always listening to the answers, Shlomo showed us daily what a wonderful caring person he was. Whenever I needed help or support he was always there, listening and offering advice.

It was a great honor for me to meet Shlomo. It was an honor to learn from him, to work with him on a research project at his lab, and most of all to know him as a human being. I know he believed in me and I wish I had the chance to cause him pride or satisfaction before he died. Tragically, he will not be there to see me as I continue working on my Ph.D.

Shlomo, thank you for everything. I miss you.

Tali

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