Richard Lakin was a kind and gentle man, an educator who loved kids, a grandfather of 8 who doted on children. He dedicated his life to peace and coexistence between Jews and Arabs, opening a school called “The Learning Alternative” where he taught mixed classes of Jews and Arabs, another stage in the journey he started when he marched alongside Martin Luther King, Jr. in the American civil rights movement in his youth. But his good works came to an end when he was struck down by Palestinian terrorists in Jerusalem in October 2015 at the age of 76. Raised in Massachusetts, Lakin made Aliya with his wife and two children, a son Micha ,15 and a daughter, Manya, 12. from Glastonbury, CT in 1984 after a distinguished career as an educator and community activist from 1965. The Lakin family settled in the German Colony and he and his wife, Karen, taught English to Jewish and Arab students. He believed that “Every child is a miracle” and “by educating children to be kind and do good and accept each other, you could solve the problems of the world”. He wrote two books, “Teaching As An Act of Love“ and “John’s and Don’s Story Must Be Told.” Richard Lakin’s life was cut short by the very violence he was trying to combat, but his legacy of decency will be remembered by generations of family and students. יהי זכרו ברוך
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