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Killed in Gaza, American 'lone soldiers' honored by Israelis

Thousands of Israelis came to the funerals of Sean Carmeli, Jordan Bensemhoun and Max Steinberg to show solidarity with the fallen soldiers who had immigrated to Israel alone.
An Israeli soldier from the Golani Brigade mourns during the funeral for fallen comrade Max Steinberg at Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem July 23, 2014. Steinberg, a 23 year-old American from California's San Fernando Valley, was among 13 Israeli Defense Forces soldiers killed on Sunday during fighting in Gaza. REUTERS/Siegfried Modola (JERUSALEM - Tags: CONFLICT POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MILITARY) - RTR3ZTAC
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Of all the stories of soldiers killed in battles between Israel and Hamas, three seem to have captured the hearts and minds of Israelis. They cried for them as though these were members of their families, accompanied them to their final resting place as though they had been an integral part of the boys’ lives. Few in Israel knew the three, and were it not for the war they likely would never have heard of them. This is the story of three young Jews who bid farewell to their parents and family, moved to Israel, joined the Israel Defense Forces, served in one of its leading combat units and found their deaths in war.

The first to go was Nissim Sean Carmeli on July 20. At the age of 16 he took leave of his family in Texas and came to Israel. Two years later he enlisted and volunteered for the Golani Brigade, one of the military’s top combat units. His friends described him as an introverted young man who was shy around his Israeli-born “Sabra” friends. They spoke loudly and displayed self-confidence; he spoke quietly, even in a whisper, part of the legacy he brought with him from the United States.

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