Diamond ring donated by mistake returned to owner

Sharon Berman says, “when I realized that my ring wasn’t on me, I really hoped that it would be found.”

By HAYLEY MUNGUIA
diamond ring 370 (photo credit: REUTERS)
diamond ring 370
(photo credit: REUTERS)
It wasn’t until she was in a cab driving away from Ben- Gurion Airport, fresh off her flight from Switzerland that Sharon Berman realized that she was missing something significant – her diamond ring.
Berman’s flight to Israel, operated by El Al, included envelopes behind each passenger seat that asked for a small donation towards the Small Change Makes a Big Difference campaign. The fund-raiser supports ALEH, Israel’s largest network of facilities for children with severe physical and cognitive disabilities, and ALUT, the Israeli National Autism Association.
Berman added all of her spare change to the bag and looking back, figured this was the only instance when something could have happened to her ring. She believed that it fell into the donation envelope as she emptied her coin purse.
Upon arriving at her hotel in Herzliya, Berman saw a showcase for ALEH Israel’s boutique in the lobby, which included a collection of hand-crafted items and artwork by the children and young adults at the organization. Recognizing it as one of the charities that the donations benefited, she asked the front desk to call the charity, who put her in contact with Sarah Hershkowitz.
Hershkowitz worked with El Al and ALUT to find Berman’s ring and ensure that it was returned. Berman had her ring back within a day.
“When I realized that my ring wasn’t on me, I really hoped that it would be found,” Berman said. “But even if it wasn’t, I told myself that it was only a ring, and that if they thought I intentionally donated it and decided to use it for a good cause, then that would be okay.”