metro >> on the cover
At graduation, David Gordon's immediate supervisor gave him his own purple beret.
Life and
Death of a
__one Soldier
IDF soldier's allegations
of sexual abuse in Detroit
leave behind
unanswered questions.
Keri Guten Cohen and
Shelli Liebman Dorfman
Jewish News Staff
8
August 28 • 2014
JN
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
from Tzrifin military base in Central Israel
following a dental appointment on Aug. 17.
His body was found in a drainage pipe in
uniform and with his IDF rifle at his side.
Israeli authorities have not elaborated on the
circumstances of his death.
Gordon left behind blogs, most notably
one published June 12, 2013, on Huffington
Post online, describing alleged sexual abuse
taking place during his childhood inside
Jewish institutions near his Oak Park home.
Gordon never named his alleged perpetra-
tors.
Living in the Detroit area from ages 8-11,
Gordon attended an Orthodox day school,
later going to high school in Pittsburgh. He
made aliyah in January 2013 and joined
the IDF last August, serving in the Givati
Brigade. Throughout his short life, he
amassed many friends who are now devas-
tated at the tragic loss.
"He was an amazingly strong boy who
went through a lot:' said 20-year-old Leah
Berlin of Oak Park, currently a student
at Yeshiva University's Stern College for
Women in New York. "I met Dave years ago
in Detroit, where his family used to live, and
stayed friends with him throughout NCSY
[an Orthodox Jewish youth group], my year
in seminary, my first year of college and
even this past summer.
"David was a goof, but not the type to
embarrass himself. He made everyone
laugh. He turned tears into laughter by just
making one comment or one of his classic
funny faces. When I think about my time
with him, only the happiest memories come
to mind.
"He's a true role model:' Berlin said.
"David's strength was unexplainable. [He]
made aliyah to fight for his country. At the
beginning of his service in the IDF, he did
not have the physical strength of the usual
combat soldier, but his motivation and need
to fight for his homeland pushed him to
make himself fit the profile of the combat
soldier he had dreamed to be:'
IDF Lone Soldier
Gordon served as a Lone Soldier, usually
defined as someone whose family lives
abroad and who leaves their country to
serve Israel. He completed extended training
that placed him in the elite 424th Shaked
Infantry Battalion of Givati, and he served in
Operation Protective Edge in Gaza.
"The IDF seemed to offer a panacea
of sorts for him, a place where he could
channel his kinetic energy, zest for life
and infinite curiosity:' wrote his cousin
Noa Amouyal in an Aug. 20 dedication to
Gordon in the Jerusalem Post, where she is
deputy news editor.
"When David entered my parents' home,
he seemed calm and confident. Just this past
weekend, he visited my family and seemed
rattled by what he saw in Gaza, but stable.
"He spoke of a harrowing incident where
a split-second decision he made could have
cost the life of a reservist. Luckily, David was
the kind of soldier able to think outside of
the box, follow his gut and not blindly fol-
A Troubled Life on page 10