The community connection - even on the Bruce Highway.
On Monday, we received a frantic message from an Israeli traveller that was in trouble. Rotem* had been driving in central Queensland, when, without warning, a cow wandered onto the road. The brakes went screeching, but it was too late, and the cow was no longer - and neither was Rotem's car.
Stuck on the side of the road with a crumpled bonnet, Rotem turned to a local Sunshine Coast whatsapp group, and posted that she needed some help and was stuck on the side of the road.
Our Rabbi Menachem Aron received Rotem's call for help, and quickly sprang into action, messaging some locals in nearby Gladstone to see if they could assist.
Within a short while, Rotem had been put in touch with families that were willing and able to assist, and offered a place to stay for the night while she worked things out with her now truncated travel plans. After getting over the shock of what had happened, Rotem shared with the Gladstone locals: "Big thank you to all for the help and care I don't even have word to describe my gratitude".
Rotem will be continuing her travels, albeit in a bit of different way than she imagined, and while she lost her car, she gained a network of caring individuals and new friends that dropped everything to help her when she needed it most.
You never know where you might end up finding a connection and some assistance from friends that you have never met.