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Israeli Soldier Killed
to Save Schoolchildren
The 19-year-old immigrated to Israel two years ago after graduating from the Lycee Sha’alvim, a yeshiva in Kharkov which is a joint project of the Orthodox Union’s Joseph K. Miller Torah Center and Yeshivat Sha’alvim. Though his parents are Jewish, Alexei had no knowledge of his Jewish roots or heritage before entering the Lycee. His commitment to Israel, and his decision to make aliyah, were a direct result of the education he received at the Lycee. The Orthodox Union joins the world in mourning the tragic loss of this courageous soldier who willingly sacrificed his young life to preserve the future of the Jewish people he so loved. Following is the Hesped by Rabbi Butler, as published in the Jewish Press A Public Heroism Born of a
Private Kiddush Hashem All tragedies elicit a tinge of anguish. We hear of an earthquake, hurricane or a similar natural disaster anywhere in the world; we wince for a moment and then somehow return to our normal mode of life. Only if, G-d forbid, we know one of the victims in the disaster, do we relate to the tragedy on a personal level. With the tragic loss of a fellow Jew, however, our anguish is deepened, our sorrow is somehow intensified. Our Rabbis explain that one of the primary reasons for tearing one’s garment at the loss of a loved one is to express the grief similar to that felt over Torah shenisraf, the grief felt upon seeing a Torah scroll consumed by fire. We grieve over our personal as well as the loss of the potential that one of G-d’s creations could have contributed to the world. When a Jew dies, we mourn the loss of a conduit for mitzvot that is no more. We lament the fulfilled legacy he or she leaves behind. When a tragedy occurs to a loved one, a student or a child, that sense of loss defies description. Such is the loss we feel at the murder of Asher Neikov, HY"D, who recently died Al Kiddush Hashem while defending a school bus from a terrorist attack in Israel. Every loss is precious and seemingly senseless, but the death of Asher struck a powerful chord for many who shared in shaping the foundation of his faith. When the Orthodox Union establish the Joseph K. Miller Torah Center in Kharkov, Ukraine in '91 (in memory of our Treasurer who was murdered when Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie 10 yrs ago), little did we believe that the response would be so overwhelming. We did not anticipate its remarkable ability to transform the spiritual convictions of hundreds of families. Indeed, the Center proved that decades of atheism could not dim the resolve of thousands who yearned for spirituality, truth and a lifestyle of Torah and mitzvot. Over the years, thousands of spiritually searching youth have flocked to our Torah center, h.s. summer camps and weekend experiences where they found direction and purpose for their lives. Asher Neikov HY"D was such a young man. He grew up in Kharkov, attended our yeshiva there, and developed a deep, abiding love for Judaism. It required extraordinary courage for Asher to reject the values of his past and embrace an entirely new way of live. But courage was the guiding force behind Asher’s brief life. His courage led him to make Aliya, leaving cherished friends and family behind; courage motivated him to defend the people and the country he so loved, and courage, ultimately, enable him to die the death of a hero. We mourn Asher’s death not with the vague sense of loss one experiences upon hearing of a senseless death of someone so pure, someone so young. No. For Asher, our grief is personal, throbbing, unrelenting. In times of grief, it is only natural that we ask “what if”. What if Asher had not entered the yeshiva? What if he had not been inspired to develop into a passionate and committed Jew? What if he would have stayed loyal to the Ukrainian ethos and not the Mesorah he so readily embraced? Perhaps he may have lived a longer, but certainly not a fuller life. He may have extended his days but not his purpose, for there is no greater purpose than to live and die Al Kiddush Hashem. Chazal explain that he who performs an act of Kiddush Hashem is rewarded appropriately. One who sanctifies G-d’s name in public is rewarded exponentially. Yosef HaTzadik, who sanctified G-d in private, was rewarded with his name extended by a letter of G-d’s name. Yehuda, on the other hand, who sanctified G-d’s name in public, merited that his future descendants were spared the flames of death in an equally public display. As we grapple with Asher’s death, we are consoled by the knowledge that his chosen course in life, his pursuit of a life of Torah in a G-dless society, was a private expression of Kiddush Hashem. The world knew little of this private heroism. Yet ultimately, Asher’s public heroism that cost him his life grew out of his private expressions of faith and belief. In the merit of his public sacrifice Al Kiddush Hashem, may the generations of Jews that follow be granted the security in life to pursue the quest for fulfillment as a Jew that Asher Nikov held so dear. |
October 30,
1998 - Sgt. Alexei Nikov, who was killed when his Israeli army jeep thwarted a terrorist
attack against a busload of 40 Israeli schoolchildren, learned his love of Judaism and
commitment to the Jewish People and Israel at the 
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