Let’s Talk
“Whenever I meet new people, it takes less than three sentences for them to forget their initial awkwardness and feel comfortable talking to me,” Dr. Hahn says, honing in on a critical point of human relationships – the more society is exposed to people who are different, the easier it gets to see beyond the differences and focus on the universality we share. “Everyone is challenged in some way,” Dr. Hahn says candidly. “The trick is to forget about what you need and to instead help the other person by focusing on what he really needs. How much can you help him?”
It’s an attitude that shaped Dr. Hahn’s life and the lives of the thousands who benefit from her discovery. In an email to this writer, Professor Wallach recalled, “Among the many students I had there were several who in doing research struggled to tell the world Yes. We can. However, none of them were as committed as Dr. Hahn and none approached her grade of achievements.”
Naomi Klass Mauer, Associate Publisher of The Jewish Press adds:
Talia and I met in our first year of high school at Yeshiva University’s, Central for Girls.
We became fast friends and I brought her home with me numerous times. She soon became one of my mother’s (Irene Klass) favorite people.
Sometimes when Talia was feeling a little down, Mom would say to us, “You’ll see, great things are going to come from you, Talia. Just wait. One day you’ll be famous. Just keep strong and trust in the Almighty.”
After Talia moved to Israel my mother would frequently ask me how she was doing and sometimes with a smile, she would ask if she was famous yet.
My eyes filled with tears of joy when Talia was recognized because of her discovery and tears of regret because it was too late to tell my mother that her words had indeed come true.