Victor Calleja writes:

It was truly sad to hear that Herbert Richer died recently after a long, full life during which many people were blessed with his friendship.

Herbert was a rabbi and, in these days of conflict, when some believe religion divides rather than binds, he was a unifier.

Herbert lived to the venerable age of 91, spending more than half his years in Malta. He lived an amazing life and believed God wanted us to love life and live it to the full.

When I first met Herbert, just a year before he died, I was struck by this man and all he spoke about and did. He talked religion like few religious people do – inclusively, infusing in all who knew him an aura of well-being. When religion was discussed in the Richer method it was all about humanity and love.

Herbert lived, quite aptly, a rich life in England, South Africa and finally, for nearly half his life, Malta. He started off as a clerk in England, the son of very devout and religious Jewish parents who at an early age realised their son was rather a disappointment with regard to his religious views which, even if deep, were not orthodox at all.

He then joined the RAF where he was tested for piloting and was singled out to become a navigator. Back then all the plotting, all the routes and flying depended not on machines but on individuals.

Herbert was a member of the Caterpillar Club, which groups people who have baled out of a plane and used a parachute. He lived to tell the tale, and after the war, Herbert met Rose who changed his course in life by encouraging him to become a rabbi.

Sadly, his wife, a brilliant pianist, passed away in South Africa, where he was to meet another woman, his doting, loving widow Dorothea (Dorien).

They moved here and he continued working here and abroad as a rabbi and for several years he was even asked to represent the Jewish faith on the Maltese media. His main concern in life was the humane side, and worked ceaselessly towards inter-faith discussion and unity.

A little over a year before he died, Herbert brought his religious career to an end at, surprisingly, a Catholic church in Italy. There he, the rabbi who believed in inter-religious progress, spoke of faith, of popes, of living the faith in the most inclusive of ways.

Whatever your beliefs, talking and listening to Herbert Richer was truly fulfilling.