Akunis, Lee-Nachman

The eldest son of Vivek and Moshe. Lee Nachman was born on December 13, 1981 in the United States, in Greensboro, North Carolina. When I was one month old, his parents moved to Sweden, the country from which his mother arrived. At the end of 1983, when he was about two years old, the family immigrated to Israel. Here his sister and two brothers – Maya, Tom and Ron – were born. The Akunis family settled in Holon. Li, whose nickname was Lai, grew up in Holon and began his studies at the Bialik elementary school in the city. A few years later, the family moved to the Nirit settlement in southern Sharon, and I went to junior high school at the Ami Assaf Regional School in Beit Berl. Shortly after, Li’s parents parted. His mother, sister, and brother moved to Sweden. Lee and his father returned to Holon. In the years to come, Father Moshe recognized Elena and his sister and half-brothers were born. At Holon Lee studied at Syrkin High School near the College of Management, and successfully completed his studies in Tourism. Lee grew up to be a quiet, smiling young man, kind, helpful and loved by all around him. “Big Brother is great and funny,” as his brothers and sisters told him. He spent a lot of time traveling with the family in Israel, and over the years he also spent quite a bit in Sweden, at his mother’s home. While in Sweden, he spent many hours with his beloved grandfather-among other things they used to fish together-and liked to stroll through the wild landscape. Over the years Li has surrounded himself with many friends, with whom he loved to spend time. At home he cultivated a special love for dogs, and treated them with devotion. He also took a lot of interest in sports: Lee loved soccer very much, and for years he played in various teams, including in Kfar Saba. During his visits to Sweden, he was exposed to ice hockey, where he was particularly interested. Toward the end of his high school studies, he began to prepare for army service, and in order to reach an elite unit he developed his physical fitness. He was also a member of the “Ahari!” Holon: This is an educational-social organization that works to nurture young leadership and to encourage social involvement among youth and young people before enlistment. He enlisted in the IDF on July 19, 2000. After serving in the Paratroopers Brigade, he served as an infantry fighter in the 202nd Paratroopers Brigade of the Paratroopers Brigade, underwent an APC course and a sniper course and during the service He was promoted to the rank of sergeant, and Li proved to be a devoted soldier and a good friend of the unit, and he was killed in operational activity near Beit El in the Ramallah area on 15 February 2002. It was Friday night, when a few terrorists approached the checkpoint and shot the guards. Li was killed on the spot, and his friend was wounded. Lee was twenty years old when he fell. He was laid to rest in the military cemetery in Holon. Survived by his parents, two sisters and three brothers. After his fall he was promoted to First Sergeant. On Li’s gravestone, he was engraved in Swedish, his mother tongue: “With us you are with us. Lee is commemorated in a monument to the fallen in his hometown of Holon, in the paratroopers’ monument near Gedera, and in a grove planted near Sha’ar Hagai in memory of immigrant soldiers from North America who fell in Israel’s wars.