Dear Nissim,
I am sorry to have kept you waiting, but it took time to make a copy of this photo. I am both sending you the hard copy via airmail and an electronic copy in a zip file attached to a mail. In one of the small envelopes here you will also find a floppy disk with the picture in a jpeg format.
In the photo, Oved is giving advice to Eugene Proto, who is a great friend of mine and was also one of many friends of Oved in Brussels. Building up on Oved's advice Eugene managed to write a very fine paper which allowed him to get a good position of assistant professor in Warwick. Another of Oved's good seeds. The nice part is that all of this happened at a party, that's why I got the photo.
This photo is a concentrate of what Oved has represented for all of us who met them in academic department: a good friend, a dedicated advisor, an excellent professor. These are things that all of us thought while sharing with Oved, and there is no exaggeration in grief.
There will never be enough words to thank Oved for all he did for me, but please do not hesitate to tell me should it ever be a chance I can gice back something to his family.
I would be grateful if you could hug Arielle and the kids on my behalf and express them all closeness in the sorrow. Nissim, it has been a deep honor to meet you, and I hope we will have other chances to see each other.
All the best.
Andrea
Rome, December 5th, 2003