|
|
Alex Singer's story On December 19, 2005 a special memorial was hung in the classroom building of AMIIE honoring Alex Singer, a brave soldier who was killed in an ambush while trying to save his commanding officer in south Lebanon on September 15, 1987. As many of our alumni know well, AMIIE has a special connection to Alex and to his family. This is his story. Alex was born in White Plains, New York on September 15, 1962 to Suzanne & Max Singer. His mom was the managing editor of Moment Magazine, a respected Jewish publication. Alex was the second of four brothers (his older bother, Saul, is the Editorial Page Editor of the Jerusalem Post). In 1973, the family traveled to Israel for what was supposed to be a one year Sabbatical, but they stayed for four. The family returned to the United States where Alex graduated from Bethesda Chevy Chase High School in Maryland, and later, from Cornell University.
After spending his summer breaks at the Brandeis Camp Institute; spending his Junior year in London studying at the London School of Economics; and traveling to Russia, Italy, Spain, and Greece, Alex completed his thesis: "Letters from the Diaspora." It was his thesis that inspired him to make Aliyah on the last day of 1984.
During his compulsory service in the Israel Defense Forces, Alex volunteered for the paratroopers. He was selected for officers' training, which he accepted, extending his service another year. He led his first platoon in the Givati Brigade. On September 15, 1987, Alex's 25th birthday, he and eleven others were dropped into south Lebanon, where they were ambushed. Alex's commanding officer, Ronen Weissman, was the first hit. When Ronen didn't answer his radio, Alex took a medic and went to help his commander. When he reached Ronen, he was shot in the same place his commander's body lay.
Alex was buried in the military cemetery on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem on September 18, 1987. A special memorial service was held for him in Washington, DC, in which Benjamin Netanyahu, who himself lost his brother Yonatan Netanyahu, delivered the eulogy for Alex. In that service, Alex's bother, Saul, quoted from a letter he wrote to his dead brother that expressed one of Alex's many wise lessons to us all:
"Your message to me is one word; 'Do.' Do as you believe and people will follow you. Do not just know what is right; do what is right. Only then will other people follow you. Only then, will you have the power to affect the world."
Alex's story has been inspirational to many AMIIE alumni as Yossi explains in his epilogue:
Yossi's epilogue to Alex Singer To learn more about Alex's story or and to order his video (now also available in DVD), book, or educational materials, go to the website www.alexsinger.org |