A liberator of the Western Wall: Remembering Abe Halon

Three times a day Jews from all four corners of the earth direct their prayers toward the Old City of Jerusalem. In the heart of the city’s Jewish quarter is the Western Wall, the only remnant still standing of the glorious ancient temple. 

Our sages say the shechinah, God’s divine presence, never left the Western Wall. Amid the wall’s worn stones and whispered prayers, Jews find spiritual connection not only with each other but with generations past.

For 1,900 years, Jews were not allowed access to Judaism’s most sacred site except on rare occasions and were often barred from praying there openly. In fact, the wide plaza that welcomed guests and pilgrims was built over with homes, leaving only a small alleyway where the wall could be accessed, seen, and felt. 

This all changed in 1967 during the Six Day War, when Israel defeated the combined forces of the Egyptian, Jordanian, and Syrian armies, and the Old City was returned to Jewish hands for the first time in two millennia. The Western Wall was open for Jews to pray freely and proudly once again. Perhaps not since the revelation at Mount Sinai had the Jews been united as they were then. 

One of the brave people who made that possible and touched the hearts of so many in our Jewish community is Avraham ben Dov Halon, who passed away on May 19 at age 77. 

Born in 1946 in what would soon become Israel, Avraham, or Abe as he was known, was among the pioneers who grew up in the newly reborn Jewish state. As a young soldier serving in the IDF, Abe became a sergeant in the 66th Battalion, 55th Paratroopers Brigade, the unit that famously recaptured Jerusalem under renowned general Uzi Narkiss. 

Remembering Abe's heroism 

Abe’s heroic participation in the reunification of Jerusalem – likely the most significant Jewish historical event in 2,000 years – combined with his warm and gentle demeanor and humble smile, is truly astonishing.

You would never know when you met Abe that you were interacting with a literal hero. A fixture at the Lori Schottenstein Chabad Center of Columbus, where he would join us every week for Shabbat prayers, Abe joyfully shared his time and talents with the Columbus, Ohio Jewish community. 

Abe was beloved by the campers of our Camp Gan Israel, who looked forward each week to his art class, where he taught them realistic portrait drawing. He also volunteered every Sunday to teach Hebrew, his mother tongue, to the children at Chabad’s Hebrew School, including to my own daughter, who now lives in Israel and remembers Abe fondly.

Abe shared his name with Avraham Avinu, the forefather of the Jewish people and the first Jew. There are many parallels between Abe and our biblical patriarch. Avraham Avinu was famous for being willing to sacrifice his son Isaac to serve God on Mount Moriah, the same location where 3,700 years later Abe Halon risked his life to recapture the Western Wall. 

It was no coincidence that Abe took part in an event of such magnitude. There is a concept in Judaism known as Divine providence – the idea that God takes an active role in the workings of the universe. Every atom, every gust of wind, and every falling leaf are guided by God’s hand. So, too, are many of the events in human affairs. Abe’s remarkable wartime story is one of the clearest examples of Divine providence that I know. 

Abe’s paratrooper unit was originally stationed in the Sinai peninsula but was diverted to Jerusalem just in time to receive orders to retake the city. While there, the 19-year-old soldier assigned to defend Abe was killed by a sniper while walking right next to him. Abe told me he had no idea why his life was spared, but he eventually went on to lead his unit to recapture the holy Western Wall.

In Likutei Sichos, the Lubavitcher Rebbe stated that every soldier in the Israeli army is a tzaddik gamur, a completely righteous person, because they put their lives on the line to protect the men, women, and children of Israel. The Talmud states in tractate Sanhedrin that “good things come from good people,” which means that if something good happened, it must have come from a very special soul. Abe’s soul was indeed special and handpicked from thousands of years of Jewish history to redeem this great unifying treasure for the Jewish people.

WHEN ABE got sick, I went to visit him. He told me that when his unit first entered the Old City, he walked right past the Western wall without recognizing it. It was just an unassuming wall behind a row of houses. Only later his commanding officer told him that they had passed the magnificent Western Wall. Just like the Western Wall wasn’t originally appreciated for its greatness, so too when you met Abe – you wouldn’t know that he was a man of great accomplishments. 

Following his army service, Abe studied electrical engineering at Ohio State University and worked in the field of information technology, becoming a leader in IT organizational management and process efficiency optimization. He wrote two books on performance-based accountability and cost allocation analysis, which are standards in the industry.

One of his colleagues wrote of him on his LinkedIn: “Abe’s knowledge on unit costing and showing what an IT organization costs to run is beyond anything that has come up in the industry.” I have no idea what any of that means, but it suffices to say that Abe was exceedingly resourceful and brilliant.

Chaos theory states that a butterfly who flaps its wings in Hawaii can cause a tsunami in Japan. So, too, can our actions and kind deeds have far-reaching impacts. Most of the Jewish people today do not know Abe’s name, but are indeed indebted to him for the great service he performed 57 years ago. 

Despite his great accomplishments, Abe selflessly and humbly devoted himself to others. I remain moved by his courage, kindness, generosity, and love for life, Israel, and the Jewish people. This Jerusalem Day, may Abe’s memory be for a blessing.

The writer is the director of Lori Schottenstein Chabad Center of Columbus and the director of LifeTown Columbus. For more information, visit www.lifetowncolumbus.org.