Staff Sgt. Eitan Dov Rosenzweig, 21: Intellectual, religious artist

Fighter in the Givati Brigade’s Shaked Battalion was killed on November 22 in Gaza

Staff Sgt. Eitan Dov Rosenzweig, 21, of the Givati Brigade’s Shaked Battalion, was killed on November 22, 2023, in Gaza. Rosenzweig leaves behind his parents and four siblings.

Rosenzweig, who grew up in the Gush Etzion settlement of Alon Shvut, attended high school at Naveh Shmuel Yeshiva High School in Efrat. He is one of three soldiers from the same class who have been killed in the Gaza offensive.

The Naveh Shmuel Rosh Yeshiva described Rosenzweig as “different, fascinating, very talented, very curious, a very interesting and rich person.”

Rosenzweig was known to have an exceptional intellect and regularly engaged in extra study sessions during high school, while simultaneously completing a BA in economics from the Open University. He also visited museums, read voraciously on various subjects and — unusually for someone from the Religious Zionist community — was close to the Gur Hassidic group in Jerusalem.

Rosenzweig was also a poet, spoken word performer and a gifted visual artist. His final project in 12th grade was an intricate, four-meter-long illustration detailing important events in Jewish history. The school has said that it plans to print a book of Rosenzweig’s poetry and art.

“There are not many religious boys who allow themselves to engage in art, and the choice of being an artist is incomprehensible when compared to the society’s image of the religious man. The very choice already says something about him,” Rosenzweig’s art teacher, Porat Solomon, told Ynet.