Hearing the first news report that an Alaskan airliner had crashed off the coast of San Francisco, Rabbi Yosef Langer of the Chabad Center of San Francisco immediately headed to the airport.

Using his clergy identification to get into the heavily restricted lounge area, the Lubavitch representative began to make the rounds of shocked and grief-stricken relatives, lending an attentive ear and offering emotional support. As more details of the tragedy of Flight 261 were made available, it slowly became evident that none of the 88 passengers on board had survived the disaster.

"At a time like that, when people cannot accept the shock and finality of the tragedy, I found it important to comfort them by encouraging them to think about the soul," explains Rabbi Langer, "I would remind each person of this part of the individual that continues on. It starts to help ease some of the pain, if not immediately then in time."

Rabbi Langer also spoke about the need to channel grief into good deeds to perpetuate the lives of the crash victims, urging individuals to think of practical things they could do to memorialize the victims.

Together with Red Cross workers, Rabbi Langer spent the entire day trying to assist individuals arriving at the lounge area in a wide range of ways. Some sought counseling, some needed to telephone other family members, a few required medical assistance for shock. In the somber atmosphere of the waiting room, Rabbi Langer was besieged by reporters who asked if there were any Jewish passengers on board. Although, none of the families identified themselves as Jewish, the Rabbi found that his message of transforming anguish into positive deeds "was a universial one that individuals of all faiths could relate to and understand."

At day's end, as Rabbi Langer prepared to leave the airport, he and the Red Cross workers were taken into a separate hall by airport officials and debriefed. Rabbi Langer expressed his interest in undergoing advanced training for responding to tragedies such as the airline crash.

"If, G-d forbid, another disaster occurs, I would like to be able to respond and to be there to help," relates Rabbi Langer, "We have to be ready to be there for the people at a moment's notice."