Oleh who died in US to be honored on Ammunition Hill

Memorial wall plaques will honor a Jewish soldier who served or serves in the military of any country.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
very good, troops leave (photo credit: AP)
very good, troops leave
(photo credit: AP)
When Philadelphia native Evan Levitt spent a year volunteering in Israel with Project Otzma, Jason Korsower was the first person he met. The two became fast friends. They got to know Tahg Adler, and then they were three. Tahg and Jason went on to make aliya and serve together in the IDF. Though the trio eventually went different ways, their bond held strong until two years ago, when Jason, visiting his parents in Atlanta, died suddenly and tragically at the age of 29. Foul play was suspected in his death, which is still under investigation. Called a "silent warrior" by his friends, Jason devoted his life to what he believed in. This year, Adler and Levitt have set up a Web page to raise funds for a memorial plaque to be placed in Jason's memory on Ammunition Hill in Jerusalem, as part of a Jewish National Fund project honoring Jewish soldiers' sacrifices in armed conflicts throughout history. When Levitt, who works for the JNF, learned of the project, he contacted Adler and the two set to work building a tribute page in Jason's memory. Page 1050 includes Jason's story, his picture, a link to a photo album, and memorial Web site which includes postings from friends and some of Jason's work, a link for donations, and a record of how much has been collected. To date, more than $7500 has been raised in Jason's memory; all online. "Jason had a lot of interests," said Adler, "so we had a lot of resources to go to. Because this is being done online we were able to send the link to several hundred people. It only took a few weeks to get the results we did and we're ecstatic. It's really a good feeling to know we did this and his name will forever be at Ammunition Hill. "I even sent it to every single member of the Israeli Knesset," said Adler. "When Jason died, Ehud Olmert, who was then deputy prime minister, sent his family a condolence letter, so I thought they should get this too." Ammunition Hill memorial wall plaques will honor a Jewish soldier who served or serves in the military of any country. Plaques will list the soldier's name, country, rank, dates of service, and unit, if available, and cost $5,000 each. The wall will be unveiled and dedicated on May 16, 2007, the 40th anniversary of the battle. Donors are invited to attend the ceremonies.