Ari Zenilman Z'L - A Lion of Israel

On September 29, Erev Sukkot, Ari and Chava welcomed their third child. Since Sukkot celebrates water through the Simchat Beit Hashoeva, they named their daughter Maayan. On the following Shabbat, Ari said goodbye to his wife and three children, grabbed his gear and joined his reserve army unit in the south.

Ari was 14 and going into his first year of high school when he made aliya with his family in 2005. After high school, he spent 6 years studying at Yeshivat Har Etzion (Gush) and serving in the army. He then studied at Hebrew University, earning his BS in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE). While earning his degree, he worked as a Research and Policy Analyst at the Kohelet Policy Forum. After graduating, he worked for the Central Bureau of Statistics, and started working at Mobileye as an Algorithm Data Analyst in September 2021.

It was truly amazing how Ari managed to fit his life into 24 hour days. Working as a data scientist at Mobileye, spending time with the children, studying for his MS in data science and sharing household chores, he always made time for Torah learning, and kept up with current events. He also enjoyed reading and was rarely without his Kindle or his Gemara – or both – in case he had some spare time.

Ari’s unit was first deployed to Kissufim, then to Kibbutz Re’im, Kfar Aaza and later to Nachal Oz. Early Friday morning, December 1, Ari called his parents to say that he was handing in his cellphone. What he did not need to say was that he was being deployed into Gaza. That was the last time Lisa & Rob spoke to him. Ari was killed in battle in Khan Yunis on December 10, leaving behind Chava, their 3 young children (5, almost 3 and 10 weeks) and devastated family and friends.

His cousin Tzvi wrote, “He died for his country and sacrificed everything to protect us against unspeakable evil; he had both everything to live for and everything to die for.”

Ari’s family was comforted by countless extended family members and friends throughout the shiva. Perhaps most comforting were the visits from Ari’s friends, co-workers and fellow soldiers.

Ari’s friend Moshe said, “You always were the wise one. Yet you hid all of your greatness in a shrewd cloak of humor and mucking around. You were very serious yet never took anything too seriously. My eyes are open and I promise to take everything I learned from you and apply it to my life."

See below for an article about Ari's unit in Kissufim

A bit about me (Zev Nirenberg) as the organizer.

I was a student at the Hesder Yeshiva in Ma'ale Adumim and subsequently joined the IDF as a lone soldier. The Zenilmans adopted me into their family and showered me with an unbelievable amount of chesed through those years. Ari was like a younger brother to me and will forever be missed. Please help me assist Chava and his children.

May his memory be a blessing