Michael Levin: You can’t fulfill your dream unless you dare to risk it all.

Today’s post is in memory of Michael Levin on the seventh anniversary of his death.

Michael moved to Israel from Philadelphia in 2002 and joined the Paratroopers. In the summer of 2006, Michael was given leave to visit his family in the US. Two weeks into his trip, war broke out on Israel’s northern border when Hezbollah ambushed an Israeli Army patrol, killing five reservists and kidnapping Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev. When Israel crossed the border in an attempt to rescue them, Hezbollah began its assault on Israel, launching thousands of rockets at the communities of northern Israel.

Michael immediately cut short his vacation and flew back to Israel to serve with his unit. He fought to receive permission to be sent to the north to rejoin his unit. When Michael arrived, his unit was sent to the Hezbollah village of Aita al-Shaab in Lebanon. It was to this Hizbollah stronghold that Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev had been been taken two weeks earlier. On Tuesday, August 1, Michael’s unit moved forward and began an intense fire-fight with Hezbollah forces inside the village of Aita al-Shaab. Michael Levin, 21, was killed then.

I wrote about Michael in an article for The New York Times here. What I want to share now is his motto, “You can’t fulfill your dream unless you dare to risk it all.”

May his memory serve as an example of courage and fortitude. For more information, please look at the following video clips here and and the movie by Sally Mitlas, “A Hero in Heaven,” here.

IDF Says Hezbollah Cache Exceeds 60,000 Rockets, Can Strike Any Part of Israel (algemeiner.com)
Storing Rockets In Residental Basements, Part One (vineoflife.net)

About dianabletter

Diana Bletter is the author of several books including The Invisible Thread: A Portrait of Jewish American Women (with photographs by Lori Grinker), shortlisted for a National Jewish Book Award, a novel, A Remarkable Kindness, (HarperCollins), a memoir, The Mom Who Took of on her Motorcycle, and The Loving Yourself Book for Women: A Practical Guide to Boost Self-Esteem, Heal Your Inner Child, and Celebrate the Woman You Are, an Amazon top-seller in several categories, and The Loving Yourself Workbook for Girls. She is the First Prize Winner of Moment Magazine's 2019 Fiction Contest. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Commentary, tabletmag, Glamour, The Forward, The North American Review and is currently a reporter for The Times of Israel. Diana and her husband have six children and an unofficially-adopted daughter from Ethiopia. They live in a small village on the Mediterranean Sea in northern Israel.

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2 Responses to Michael Levin: You can’t fulfill your dream unless you dare to risk it all.

Marylin Warner says:

July 14, 2013 at 11:26 am

Diana, I went back and reread your “Two Mothers, One Battle.” What a strong, poignant perspective, a powerful article that gives pause to mothers, fathers, families and all citizens of countries everywhere. Thank you for that article, this tribute to Michael Levin, and all your writing.

- dianabletter says:
  
  July 16, 2013 at 1:17 am
  
  Thank you, Marylin. I appreciate your taking the time to write.