May 22
I have no idea what a hero is. I have no clue what it means to be a positive role model either, and I don’t think there are many people that actually do. Those who do would be hard-pressed for words to describe their opinions as well. Yet there are some things about some people that just get us wrapped up in their stories, their lives. Some make instant impacts, others last a lifetime.
I can put my findger on plenty of people who I considered heroes, even if it was short lived or someone I’ll never meet. For example, any athlete who made me feel bliss and help me smile when I think back to the moment he helped my favorite team win. Or camp counselors who taught me things I didn’t realize were important until much later on. And of course there is always family. But at this point in my life, I find inspiration and heroism from someone who is no longer wih us yet would just be about my age today. I also know I’m not alone in this thought. They call him the Hero in Heaven. They call him Michael Levin.
Here’s a man who dared to risk it all just to fulfill his dreams, as he so famously said. That’s understandably respectable and an amazing attribute. But to take it even one step further and come back to fight in a war while on vacation (which I now know don’t happen too often in the army) knowing he was putting his life in danger, words can’t describe this. He ended up being killed in battle in Lebanon, but his legacy will always live on.
As I walked through Har Hertzl, the most famous military ceremony in Israel, in January as a newly sworn in soldier, I felt many new emotions that I hadn’t ever felt when visiting there. Proud to be a soldier, part of the everlasting family that is the Israel Defense Forces. Yet, I also felt fear and angst hoping (G-d forbid) nothing like this could ever happen to me. Thankfully, I don’t know anyone who has personally died in a batlle nor did I ever know the names of most of the people there (besides the likes of Hertzl and Rabin). Then towards the end of our tour through the cemetery, I saw the grave of Michael and stopped.
A Birthright trip was also standing there and being told the story of Michael. Although I had already heard this story, I was glued to it once again. As I stood there in uniform with my M-16 by my side, tears began to roll down my eyes. “What is happening?” I thought to myself. I didn’t even know the guy and there are plenty of other brave people who have also died for our country, but this one hit me, hard. Who knows what Michael might be doing today if he were still around. But what matters most is what he did then.
Moving here and doing this crazy army stint is a personal choice and only that. People can motivate you to do things or drive you to make decisions, but in the end you’re the final judge. Michael showed something that is important to every human being and that is you have to be willing to go all the way and put yourself out there for people as much as possible. The world doesn’t work on one person’s actions. It is a chain reaction of acts of kindness that make this world spin in a positive manner.
Would I do the same thing and leave my American family and friends in a time of war knowing what I’m getting myself into? Of course it’s hard to say since situations can differ, but at this point absolutely. Michael was willing to give his life for millions he never will know. Forget that, he was and we are doing this for Jewish generations to come. The least I can do is try to honor his beliefs and carry them out so this country and this people can thrive even further. I still don’t know what exactly defines a hero. But I can tell you that in any thought or conversation I have about heroism, I’ll think of Michael – we all should. They say you learn a lot from the past and those who have come before. Let us not forget the great message and values Michael taught us, or that he still teaches us atop Har Hertzl today.
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