Col. Tzvika Levy, who was awarded the Israel Prize for his life's work of supporting lone soldiers – soldiers serving in the Israel Defense Forces who have no immediate family in Israel – died Saturday after a long battle with ALS, two weeks before he would have turned 71.
Known as "the father of lone soldiers," Levy had been ill with ALS for three years. His funeral was scheduled to take place Monday afternoon at Kibbutz Yifat in the Jezreel Valley.
Levy's son Dotan said his father had been at home until his final hours.
"At 3 a.m. [Saturday], Mom went to the hospital with him, in the ambulance, and at 4:50 he died. The past few days it was very difficult to communicate with him. His eyesight wasn't good either. But he was conscious until the last few minutes and always optimistic. He was always an optimist," Dotan Levy said.
Levy is survived by his wife, four children, and five grandchildren.
Following the news of his death, dozens of friends, relatives, and lone soldiers flocked to Kibbutz Yifat to offer their condolences.
President Reuven Rivlin said: "Tzvika was a symbol of giving, of devotion, and nothing less, a symbol of optimism. He turned his generosity and love into his life's work."
Outgoing IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot and his appointed successor, Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, issued a joint message honoring Levy: "The spirit of his welcome activity will stay with the IDF, and is being implemented every day by its commanders. The IDF bows its head."
Nir Meir, secretary general of the Kibbutz Movement, which worked with Levy to place lone soldiers on kibbutzim, said, "Tzvika fought in the paratroopers, then fought for every lone soldier, and in the last few years was fighting for his health."
Yael Eisner, who is replacing Meir as head of the Kibbutz Movement, said, "If it were up to Tzvika, he'd keep taking care of lone soldiers from up there. I am committed to continuing his spiritual legacy."
When Levy first enlisted in the IDF, he volunteered for the Paratroops Brigade. He fought in the First Lebanon War in 1982 as a reservist and was awarded a field promotion to an officer's rank for his courage under fire.
In December 1994, the then-commander of the IDF Manpower Division, Maj. Gen. Yoram Yair, put Levy in charge of caring for the IDF's lone soldiers. In the years that followed, Levy took care to find housing and provide emotional and practical support for some 20,000 lone soldiers, many of whom he placed on kibbutzim. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel, and in 2016 was made an honorary colonel.
Levy insisted that all the presents he received for his birthday last year be given to lone soldiers.
