If you had a problem, promotional products professional Lori Gilbert-Kaye was there to help you find a solution, those close to her say. Caring and compelled by faith, Gilbert-Kaye, a senior account manager at Pro Specialties Group, Inc. (asi/299725), was the friend you turned to in a time of need -- the smiling face ready with insightful advice and a helping hand.

Lori Gilbert-Kaye

So it was that, true to her deeply compassionate character, Gilbert-Kaye put others first in a final act of heartbreaking selflessness that has sent reverberations around the world: She stepped in front of a gunman’s bullets intended for her friend, a rabbi, during an Anti-Semitic-fueled shooting at her San Diego County synagogue on Saturday.

Gilbert-Kaye, 60, did not survive the wounds she sustained from the gunman’s AR-style rifle. Her act of heroic sacrifice has generated praise and expressions of grief and condolences from Washington, D.C. to Jerusalem and far beyond.

"She sacrificed her own life, throwing herself in the path of the murderer’s bullets to save the life of the rabbi,” Naftali Bennett, Israel’s minister of diaspora affairs, told the Jewish Press. “But it is clear that such heroism and good deeds are not only characteristic of dear Lori in death, but this is the way she lived her life – at the heart of her community, constantly doing charity and good deeds for those in need."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement via Twitter, praising Gilbert-Kaye and condemning the attack.

I condemn the abhorrent attack on a synagogue in California; this is an attack on the heart of the Jewish people. We send condolences to the family of Lori Gilbert-Kaye and our best wishes for a quick recovery to the wounded.

— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) April 28, 2019

During the shooting, Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, Gilbert-Kaye’s friend for some 30 years, was reportedly trying to evacuate children from the Chabad of Poway synagogue when the promo pro saved his life. Goldstein lost a finger, but survived. He and President Donald Trump spoke Sunday about Anti-Semitism and related matters. Goldstein said Trump was “so comforting” and that he brought “amazing consolation,” according to USA Today.

I spoke at length yesterday to Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, Chabad of Poway, where I extended my warmest condolences to him and all affected by the shooting in California. What a great guy. He had a least one finger blown off, and all he wanted to do is help others. Very special!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 29, 2019

On Sunday night, more than a thousand people attended a vigil at Valle Verde Park in Poway, CA. Media reports indicate that some attendees held Yahrtzeit candles – memorial candles in Judaism. As news of Gilbert-Kaye’s tragic death and heroic act spread, her colleagues shared grief and reflections.

"Her tragic passing leaves a void in my heart," Dava Dayan, who worked with Gilbert-Kaye at Pro Specialties, told USA Today. "I am forever grateful that she was a part of my life. Our world will not be the same without her."

In a statement to Counselor, Gilbert-Kaye’s Pro Specialties colleague Perry Goldfarb said Monday that it’s been a difficult time for people at the distributorship. Still, Goldfarb and others at Pro Specialties are trying to focus on the far-reaching positive impact Gilbert-Kaye had.

“Lori took the bullet for all of us. [It] will forever scar me, but it’s going to remind me how vulnerable we are and how heroic each one of us can be.” — Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein

“We will remember Lori as a wonderful giving person,” Goldfarb told Counselor. “Lori was a very positive caring individual whom everyone loved. Her attitude and spirit will be missed. She was a person who everyone loved to be around. She made everyone around her feel special. If anyone needed anything, Lori was always there to help. Whenever I needed any help regarding business, she was always willing to help and share her wisdom. Lori was an outstanding salesperson -- very well-liked and respected in the industry. It is a tragic loss for everyone.”

Professionals from around the promo sector expressed soul-ache over Gilbert-Kaye’s passing.

“We are extremely heartbroken,” wrote Brandon Greaney, vice president of sales and marketing at San Diego-based Makana Line (asi/68366), in a social media post shared the day of the shooting. “I have been working with Lori for 10-plus years. I just did a self-promo for her party that was supposed to happen this evening. The imprint included a quote of enjoying life.”

Jolie Porter, managing director at The Legacy Group, also shared about Gilbert-Kaye on social. “So very tragic,” Porter wrote. “She was an angel on earth as well as a hero. My heart goes out to her family and friends.”

Promotional products industry colleagues from the other side of the globe weighed in with sentiments, too. “On behalf of your promo brothers and sisters in Australia & New Zealand, as well as the APPA (Australasian Promotional Products Association) board and staff - I would like to pass on our deepest sympathies and big hugs,” posted Peter Schroeder of Custom Stuff Promotional Products Australia.

Gilbert-Kaye leaves behind a husband and a college-age daughter. In a harrowing moment, press reports indicate that Gilbert-Kaye’s husband, a physician, was performing CPR on her after the shooting. He reportedly passed out while trying to resuscitate her.

Religiously devout, Gilbert-Kaye was at the synagogue for the last day of Passover and to recite Yizkor, a memorial prayer for deceased loved ones recited four times annually on holy days -- Passover’s final day, the second day of Shavuot, on Shemini Atzeret and on Yom Kippur. Saturday was to be the first time Gilbert-Kaye said the prayer for her mother, who passed away last year. Before she could, however, a suspect identified as John T. Earnest, 19, walked into the suburban synagogue and opened fire with a semiautomatic rifle, killing Gilbert-Kaye and injuring three others. Authorities believe Earnest’s rifle jammed during the attack, which likely saved lives. Indications are Earnest’s alleged shooting was fueled by Anti-Semitism.

“Lori took the bullet for all of us,” said Goldstein. ““[It] will forever scar me, but it’s going to remind me how vulnerable we are and how heroic each one of us can be. No matter what happened, we are going to keep our freedom. We are going to grow from it.”

Lori Gilbert-Kaye was to be laid to rest Monday.

Donate to the Lori Gilbert-Kaye Z"L Memorial Fund.