Will (William) Shakin, a US resident who volunteered for IDF service and fought in Gaza, took his own life in New York yesterday after suffering severe mental distress following his service. He was not officially recognized as suffering from PTSD.
Shakin immigrated to Israel following the October 7 massacre and enlisted in the IDF through the Mahal program for overseas volunteers. He served as a combat soldier in the Golani Brigade’s 13th Battalion in Gaza, where he lost friends fighting alongside him. His mental health subsequently deteriorated severely.
During his service, Shakin lived at HaBayit shel Benji, which provides housing for lone soldiers. After he completed his service, staff members there contacted his parents due to concerns about his condition.
Shakin later returned to the US. He received close support until his flight to New York, but the assistance provided by the IDF and Defense Ministry ended after he arrived overseas.
Haim Meizlish, a volunteer with the Navigating nonprofit, which supports lone soldiers facing mental health difficulties in New York, said Shakin was not recognized as suffering from PTSD during his service and did not receive the support he needed.
According to Meizlish, the Defense Ministry required Shakin to return to Israel to appear before recognition committees. He said this posed a significant difficulty, as returning to Israel would have separated Shakin from his family support system in the US.
Meizlish also pointed to broader difficulties in providing support to wounded IDF veterans and combat-related trauma victims living in the US. He said some 1,200 cases involving such veterans are registered in the country, with only two Defense Ministry representatives handling them.
Following Shakin’s death, his parents are seeking to bring their son to Israel for burial in the military cemetery on Mount Herzl. The request has encountered legal and public opposition from the Defense Ministry, in part because Shakin was never officially recognized as a combat trauma victim.
The family has accused officials in the Defense Ministry of shirking responsibility for the case. At the same time, Minister Ofir Sofer pledged to try to assist the family in bringing Shakin to Israel for burial.