(L to R) Michal Berman, Harriet Levin, MK Biton, Mark Levin
(L to R) Michal Berman, Harriet Levin, MK Biton, Mark LevinYonit Schiller Photography

After an emotional day and strong words of support from Knesset members across the political spectrum, MK Michael Biton announced the formation of a Knesset lobby group to advocate on behalf of lone soldiers in his closing remarks at Thursday’s inaugural conference, Israel’s New Pioneers: The Strategic Impact of Lone Soldiers on Israel.

The conference was cosponsored by MK Biton and the Lone Soldier Center in Memory of Michael Levin (LSC).

A standing-room-only crowd of invited guests, including former and current lone soldiers, joined Minister of Immigrant Absorption Pnina Tamano-Shata and nearly a dozen Knesset members to discuss initiatives to support lone soldiers before, during and after their service. Also attending were Harriet and Mark Levin, parents of Michael Levin, who was killed 15 years ago during the Second Lebanon War.

“We are overwhelmed by the unanimous outpouring of support and the recognition that lone soldiers are a strategic asset for the State of Israel,” said Michal Berman, CEO of the Lone Soldier Center. “We thank all the Knesset members who came to express their support for Israel’s new pioneers and welcome the initiatives announced today. The Lone Soldier Center will continue to advocate for these amazing young men and women, and provide them with the tools they need to succeed during and after they complete their army service.”

Acknowledging that support of lone soldiers is one area where the Knesset is united, MKs from across the political spectrum – including Tatiana Mazarsky, Eitan Ginzberg, Nira Shefek, Yair Golan, Idit Silman, Moshe Tur-Paz, and Yitzhak Ze'ev Pindrus, among others – expressed the need for government initiatives such as increased funding and post-army assistance for lone soldiers.

“A voice called, and I went. I went, for the voice called,” Biton said, quoting a poem by the late Hannah
Senesh, the heroic Hungarian Jewish resistance fighter. “The sacrifice lone soldiers make for the state - even more than any other soldier, and their choice to serve when they are alone in the country - deserves special recognition and appreciation by Israeli citizens in general and the Israeli government in particular, because they are a real strategic asset to the state. This conference is intended to strengthen them and create additional initiatives to help them during their service, and even more so after their release.”

“Michael left us an unwritten will that is engraved in the hearts of the thousands of lone soldiers who come here to realize the dream of Israel and the Jewish people,” said Tamano-Shata. "Israeli society is blessed with these soldiers who come to Israel from all over the world to defend Israel with their bodies, with a Zionist vision and spirit in their hearts.”

How did Levin’s legacy develop into a symbol for lone soldiers? “Every society creates their own heroes,” said Dr. David “Dudu” Rotman, professor of Jewish and Comparative Folklore at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem. “We read it in Pirkei Avot. Ben Zoma said, ‘Who is strong? He who overcomes his inclinations…” Every language has its own words to define and describe a person that shows strength, who stands out, and is out of the ordinary. These are the heroes that society looks up to. Michael Levin was such a person.”

Dr. Zohar Raviv, International VP of Education for Taglit-Birthright Israel, spoke of the continuing impact lone soldiers have on Israel-Diaspora relations. “Over half a million soldiers are having a one-on-one dialogue with your son,” he said, speaking directly to Mark and Harriet Levin. “Michael created a bridge as an American who was warm and positive. He showed them that they each have potential as a Jew. This is not just about what Israel gives to lone soldiers, but what they bring to Israel.”


“I stand before you with reverence and pride for the young man who gave his life for the country he loved,” said Michael’s father, Mark Levin, thanking the Knesset for hosting the conference and honoring his son’s memory. “History cast its vote and chose Michael, who followed his dream and embraced his destiny by fulfilling it. As long as there are young passionate Zionists like Michael, Israel will live forever.”
In a panel discussion moderated by Andrea Arbel, Executive Director of Grinspoon Foundation Israel and a member of the Lone Soldier Center’s executive board, several former lone soldiers came spoke about their experiences. Benjy Rozenfeld, an Israeli who grew up in a Hasidic family, thanked Lone Soldier Center Founder Tziki Aud for “saving my life when I had no support from my family.” Rachel Cohen Leslie and David Matlin, who served at the same time as Levin, remembered how he spoke of the need to create a physical place where lone soldiers could connect with one another, and how helpful having that place would have been.

“Michael was an inspirational figure who left a legacy that continues to inspire so many,” said Eliezer Morgenstern, a friend who served with Levin.