Michael's Funeral

I went to Michael Levine's, z''l funeral yesterday. Michael was killed while fighting in Lebanon. I never met Michael, but someone very close to me was close to him; DZ and I went to the funeral to pay our respects and support our friend. There were so many people; it was so quiet. As the honor guard carried Michael's flag-draped casket up the stairs, I watched quietly. I heard sobs and saw Michael's friends embracing each other.

Several people spoke about him. They say that he was the kind of guy that makes friends with everyone, had a smile that was mentioned over and over again and longed to be in Israel - a true lover of the Israeli people. Michael was on leave in Pennsylvania visiting his family when fighting broke out up North. He cut his visit short in order to return to his unit.

His family arrived in Israel and accompanied him to his resting place on Har Hertzel. Michael, it was said at the funeral, will be a soldier forever. For us, yes. Let's hope that he's now resting peacefully with all the others who over the millennia have died sanctifying His name.

Photo courtesy of flickr.