Maj. Ben Bronshtein, 24: Elite unit commander lived ‘an abnormal life’

Maj. Ben Bronshtein, 24, a squadron commander in the Duvdevan commando unit, from Holon, was killed on October 7 while battling the Hamas invasion of Kibbutz Kfar Aza.

The morning of the attack, Ben was on break from the army and at his girlfriend’s house. Early that morning he was called up with his comrades and sent to Kfar Aza, one of the hardest-hit kibbutzes along the Gaza border.

There, Ben and others battled against the Hamas invaders inside the kibbutz, managing to kill a number of them. Shortly after 11 a.m., Ben was shot directly in the heart, and died moments later, according to an IDF eulogy.

He was buried on October 11 in Holon. He is survived by his parents, Miri and Nir, his siblings, Moshiko and Noa and his girlfriend, Adi.

The middle child, Ben was born and raised in Bat Yam, attending local schools. He had a great sense of humor and his dimples were always on display, his loved ones said.

Ben loved sports, including bike riding, and in high school, he played basketball with the Maccabi Bat Yam youth team, according to a memorial website. At age 16 he decided to devote himself to his goal of serving in an elite IDF unit, including intensive workouts with CrossFit.

After he finished high school, Ben and his family moved to Holon. In March 2017, Ben enlisted in the IDF and accomplished his dream of serving in the elite Duvdevan commando unit. He completed an officer’s course and then a company commander’s course, before being posted as a company commander in the Givati Brigade’s Shaked Battalion. He then returned to Duvdevan to command a squadron.

His family said he was known for a saying he would often repeat to the soldiers in his command: “For the nation to have a normal life, a handful of people have to live an abnormal life.” He would then tell them: “You are that handful.”

In a eulogy marking a year since he was killed, Ben’s mother, Miri, said it was hard to believe “that we haven’t spoken for a full year.”

“A full year that I didn’t burst out laughing with you. A full year that I didn’t seek advice from you. A full year that I didn’t cover you at night,” she continued. “A full year that I didn’t wait for a message from you. A year that I didn’t receive any message from you — ‘Mom, I love you, please don’t worry.'”

Miri said it had been “a full year that I didn’t brag that your dimples come from me. A year that sibling time isn’t the same, Shiko and Noki’s eyes search for you, maybe today he will surprise us and come? A year that dad doesn’t iron your uniform and kiss it. A full year that you didn’t ask for strawberries and cream — even though it’s not the season. A year that we have to settle for just your smell that remains on your uniform.”

His girlfriend of five years, Adi, said in a video tribute on Channel 13, “During all of our years together, you always said to me that you’d rather die a million times than have a civilian get even a scratch.”

“You loved your job so much, and you did everything to protect your soldiers and the citizens of Israel,” she continued.

“You were a funny guy who turned every situation into a light and funny one. You loved life so much — loved attractions, what didn’t you try? Skiing a million times, go-karting on the streets of Tokyo, bungee jumping in Colombia,” she said. “You were a person with morals, loving and loved. One who you only need to look at to admire.”

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