IDF Soldier Killed in Training Accident Brought to Rest

YERUSHALAYIM
A scene from the levayah of David Golovensitz, z”l, at Mt Herzl cemetery in Yerushalayim on Wednesday. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)

Family and friends of David Golovensitz, z”l, gathered at Mt Herzl Cemetery in Yerushalayim on Wednesday for the levayah following his tragic death in an IDF training accident the day before.

1st Lt. David Golovensitz, from Efrat, was fatally wounded when one of his soldiers accidentally fired his weapon and a bullet struck him down during a nighttime drill in Chevron.

Golovensitz, 22, grew up in Yerushalayim, then moved to Efrat in Gush Etzion with his family several years ago. He studied at the Bnei Tzvi yeshiva in Beit El before joining the IDF.

“I have no words; I don’t know what to say,” his mother Esther told the crowd of mourners. “My dear son, my beloved son. I think I can’t describe what has befallen me. For 22 years, I had a privilege, and I thank G-d for that wonderful gift,” she said through her tears.

“You taught me so much. You always made sure that we enjoyed and that we had a smile on our faces. I promise you, with all the pain, that we will continue to do that,” she continued as soldiers and friends wept around her. “I love you David.”

His commander, Sion Bloch of the Golani Brigade, praised him for his exceptional personal qualities, saying, “He did his job brilliantly and always took care of his soldiers like they were his children.”

He said that he did his work “with a smile that never left your face…David fell among soldiers who loved him.”

An initial IDF report on the incident said that soldiers participating in the drill neglected to clear their weapons of ammunition beforehand, in violation of safety regulations.

Following the accident, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot, suspended all training exercises on Thursday and ordered a review of safety precautions in the army’s combat units. The army has launched a full investigation.

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