Michael Levine A"H

With the Nine Days' mourning period officially done and Shabbat Nachamu just hours away, we would all like to proceed to happier times. At the same time, we cannot forget the destructive force that we Jews, especially those in Israel, are facing.

Yesterday, while driving to shul, I heard on ABC radio a brief clip about Michael Levine, a young American who was killed in southern Lebanon the other day and whose funeral was, fittingly enough, yesterday on Tisha B'Av. Listening to wails of his mourners would have been sad enough on any day but reverberated in my mind even more so because of all that we commemorated yesterday. The news became even sadder when I received the following e-mail from our friend Ruthie Rott:

Dear friends,
I've been blessed to hear from so many of you lately with concerns about how I'm doing in Israel. Up until now, I've been able to say that I'm doing fine considering the situation. Unfortunately, the war hit a bit closer to home this week when a dear friend of mine, Michael Levine, was killed in battle in South Lebanon.
Michael, or "Mikey" as we called him was one of the most special people you'd have ever met. He was warm, caring, loving, kind, and always (I mean
ALWAYS) had a huge smile on his face. Over the last two years, he'd become like a 'little brother' to me... he used to call me his "soul sister".
Every now and again, he would drop by for tea and cookies... just to talk about 'stuff'. Those are very special memories that I will forever cherish.
For those of you that have read about Mikey in the Jerusalem Post, you'll know that he was born in Philadelphia and came over to Israel at the age of
17 when he joined the IDF as a lone soldier. He became an Israeli citizen and joined the elite paratrooper division. Despite his slight physical stature (118 lbs, and 5'5" tall) he was a strong and true soldier... through and through... but it never made him hard... he always remained one of the warmest people I'd ever met... with a smile that could light up a room.
When the war broke out, Mikey was on vacation in America. He was not called back to Israel, but he voluntarily chose to return to his unit. Initially, they were going to place him in a homeland division, but he insisted on going ahead with his unit into Lebanon. He even told a mutual friend that he felt like his life wouldn't be worth much anyway, if he didn't come home and fight side by side with his unit - which were his brothers and his family - and to fight for the country he loved. This strength, courage, and clarity coming from a 21 year old is beyond my ability to understand, but will forever inspire me...
He loved Israel. He loved people. And everyone that knew him, loved him as well. The world is a much dimmer place, without him here.
Over the last few days, as I've been processing this loss, I debated whether or not to send out this email. Especially because Mikey wouldn't want people to make too much of a fuss over him anyway - he was a tremendously humble human being. But I thought it was important to put a face (see pic
attached) on the reality of the losses we're feeling here in Israel as well
- it seems to be the story least told in this situation.
For those that are interested, I also wrote something about Mikey and the Jewish holiday of Tisha B'Av (a national day of Jewish mourning) on my blog
at: amomentofinspiration.blogspot.com Mikey was buried on Tisha B'Av... he was a true Tzaddik.
Now, as I close this email, I am going to make a bold request. While expressions of condolence and support are appreciated - and I know how much all of you care - I would prefer something else right now. It would mean much much more to me if instead of emailing me back, you would PLEASE DO SOMETHING in his memory instead. Let his death not be in vain. In his memory, in the name of Michael Levine - give charity, take on a mitzvah, speak kinder to people, don't gossip, say a prayer, judge others favorably, defend Israel (here, or in the media, or in the world), do anything, do SOMETHING, just any small little thing to fill this world with more light.
Because there's a much bigger void than there was just a few days ago...
Please help honor his sacrifice - because if we all do something small - even if it's really really really small - all of us combined will equal something really really big. Please help his memory live through our good deeds...
Love and Blessings Always,
Rachel Tova (Ruthie)