Ari
Zenilman Z'L
Ari, the oldest of the five children of Robert and Lisa Weinsoff Zenilman, would have turned 33 on the 2nd of Shevat, which fell this year on January 12th. Instead of celebrating his birthday in the usual manner, Rob, Ari's wife Chava, and Achiya, Tali and Maayan went to a chocolate factory for a workshop in honor of their father's birthday.
Ari fell in battle in Khan Yunis, 33 days before his birthday.
Ari is remembered as a soldier, but he was so much more. He was an adorable baby and child, and a wonderful big brother to Shira, Eli, Yonatan and Eitan. He was a beloved son and grandson, a valuable member of his community and a friend to so many. A devoted husband and father, he scheduled his workdays to make sure he was at home with the children in the morning and back home in the evening before they went to bed.
He was a passionate sports fan, and although he was born in New York City, his favorite team was the Minnesota Vikings. He also enjoyed basketball, and thought it was quite appropriate to wake his younger brothers in the middle of the night to watch a game that was taking place in the United States!
Ari was an avid reader and was known to always carry both a Judaic book (Mishnah or Gemara) and either his kindle or an English book with him in case he had spare time. His favorite book was Lord of the Rings but he read everything from contemporary novels to War and Peace, East of Eden and The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.
Even as a young man, Ari loved to cook, and to cook for those he cared about – family and friends. Trying new recipes, making up interesting combinations of his own, was a hobby that he squeezed into his busy adult life. It gave him great joy to see those he loved enjoy his creations!
It was apparent early on that Ari had been blessed with a brilliant mind. He had a photographic memory, was able to do complicated mathematics (without paper and pencil!) and read and wrote at a very high level. There was no limit to his thirst for knowledge. He was in the gifted student program in elementary school and in middle school learned at the University of Minnesota Talented Youth Mathematics Program.
The family made aliyah in the summer of 2005 and thankfully everyone was able to adjust to life in Israel. Ari entered high school and quickly improved his Hebrew skills by insisting that even his Anglo friends speak to him only in Hebrew.
After high school he attended the Har Etzion Hesder Yeshiva and did his army service as a combat soldier in the Nachal Brigade. In the fall of 2015, he began his studies in Philosophy, Political
Science and Economics at the Hebrew University and that December, he married Chava Landau.
While earning his degree, he worked as a Research and Policy Analyst at the Kohelet Policy Forum. After graduating, he worked for the Central Bureau of Statistics, and started working at Mobileye as an Algorithm Data Analyst in September 2021.
Achiya was born in August, 2018 and Tali was born in January, 2021. Ari and his family lived in the Kiryat HaYovel neighborhood of Jerusalem, an area being rejuvenated by an influx of young families.
Working as a data scientist at Mobileye, spending time with the children, studying for his MS in data science and sharing
household chores, Ari always made time for Torah learning, and kept up with current events.
When people speak of Ari, they often comment on his awareness of others, his connection to the people in his life and the fact that he remembered details about everyone. People - family, friends and even acquaintances – truly mattered. From high school on, people turned to Ari with questions, and he was able to answer or at least seek out the answer, with great respect. There was never a question too basic or even foolish for Ari – and so people turned to him time and time again.
Make a fixed time for learning,
say little and do much,
greet every person cheerfully
While still in yeshiva, Ari wrote to a young friend and protege about to begin his army service, “Remember to look at the big picture…you may feel like a cog in a machine, and that machine may have its faults, but oh, what a machine it is,” and “It is important that every soldier understand that it is his time and his turn.” Ari continued to serve in his miluim (reserve) unit throughout the years, with the understanding that “his turn” was not yet over.
On September 29, Erev Sukkot, Ari and Chava welcomed their third child, Maayan Nechama. The following Shabbat (Simchat Torah in Israel), when his country asked once again, Ari put his uniform on, said goodbye to his wife and three children, grabbed his gear and joined his reserve army unit in the south.
Ari’s unit was first deployed to Kissufim, then to Kibbutz Re’im, Kfar Aza and later to Nachal Oz. Early Sunday morning, December 3, Ari called his parents and his wife to say that he was handing in his cellphone. What he did not need to say was that he was being deployed into Gaza.
That was the last time any family member spoke to him. Ari was killed in battle in Khan Yunis a week later, on December 10th, 27 Kislev, the third day of Chanukah. He left behind Chava, their 3 young children (5, almost 3 and 10 weeks), his parents, siblings and additional devastated family and friends.