Michael Levin was an American-born IDF soldier who fell in action during the Second Lebanon War.

Mickey, as he was known by his friends, was born in Philadelphia in 1984 and at age 19 decided to leave all his friends and family behind to enlist as a lone soldier in the IDF's Paratroopers Brigade.

His love of Israel was strongly shaped by his grandfather who survived the Holocaust, and by his parents who actively encouraged him to be a strong member of their Jewish community.

Michael's motto, “You can’t fulfill your dreams unless you dare to risk it all,” led him to serve as a lone soldier at a time when it was not a popular thing for young Jews around the world to do.

During the summer of 2006, Michael received special permission to fly back to America and visit his family, but while on leave he heard of the outbreak of the war and flew straight back to Israel to join his friends in combat.

On August 1, 2006, Michael's battalion came under direct fire and he was shot along with two other soldiers. He was only 21 years old.

When Michael was in the army he often expressed his dream that one day lone soldiers would have a place where they could go and receive help, support, meals, and advice.

In 2009, the Lone Soldier Center in Memory of Michael Levin was established. And it does exactly that.