On Sunday, 2nd March 2025, a memorial ceremony was held to dedicate a city walkway in the name of Sergeant Jonathan Dean Haim z”l, with the participation of family members, Mayor Haim Bibas, friends and residents, who came to pay their respects to his memory.
Jonathan was born in Rochester 25 years ago, and during his college studies he became close to the Jewish community and became interested in studying the Hebrew language and Israel. His natural curiosity and search for meaning led him to convert to Judaism, and he changed his name to Yonatan Haim. At the end of 2020, he immigrated to the Israel and studied for a master's degree at Tel Aviv University, volunteered at the MDA and helped elderly Holocaust survivors.
Although he was not obligated to do so, he chose to enlist in the IDF and served as a soldier in the 603rd Engineering Battalion, 7th Brigade. On the morning of October 7, Jonathan called his brothers and asked them to take care of their mother so that she would not see the news. Jonathan fell in battle in the southern Gaza Strip on December 8, 2023, just three weeks before his scheduled release from the IDF.
Yonatan was a model of love for humanity, Zionism and dedication. He chose Israel out of deep faith and sacrificed his life for it. His memory and life story will remain forever for generations on the path established in his memory, adjacent to Beit Yad Lebanim.
