"I’m Staying Here to Defend": The Yeshiva Boy Who Became the Shield of Kissufim
David Mittelman grew up in the religious schools of Modi'in Illit and was raised in the world of Yeshivas. But when the moment of truth came at the Kissufim outpost, he didn't back down. In a moving interview with 'Kikar HaShabbat', his father, Rabbi Mitelman, talks about who David was and his act of bravery.
The story of Sergeant David Mittelman, a Golani soldier who fell in the heroic battle at the Kissufim outpost, isn't just another story of a fallen soldier. It’s a story about the willpower of a Yeshiva boy who decided to win, a noble Haredi family from Modi'in Illit that stood by their son no matter what, and incredible bravery that prevented a much bigger massacre.
In a special and emotional interview at the 'Kikar HaShabbat' studio, his father, Rabbi Avraham Mittelman, opens up about David, the boy who studied at top Yeshivas in Jerusalem and became the best machine gunner in his company.
"A fighter at heart - long before the army"
"David was a fighter from the time he was a little kid," his father says fondly. "Not in a military way, but in his willpower. When he decided he wanted to get into a certain Yeshiva and they told him he didn't have a chance, he sat day and night, took notes on the lessons, and studied with partners like you wouldn't believe, and he won. He took that stubbornness with him everywhere."
When COVID-19 hit, David felt like he wasn't finding his place in the Yeshiva world. After talking it over with rabbis and professionals, he decided to enlist. His father wants to clear up something that really hurt the family: "The media really did us wrong. They portrayed him as a 'lone soldier' who was abandoned by his religious family. That is a complete lie. Our home was always open; we had a warm, daily connection. Even when he chose to register as a lone soldier for his own technical reasons, he did it with the guidance of rabbis and our full support."
20 minutes of pure courage at Kissufim
On the day of Simchat Torah, David wasn't even supposed to be on guard duty. He volunteered to fill in for a friend who was sick at the gate of the Kissufim outpost. At 6:30 AM, when the sirens started and hundreds of terrorists began swarming the fences, he got an order over the radio: "David, get inside the bunker, you don't have a chance against them."
But David, with that Golani spirit and the determination he had since he was a kid, answered: "What do you mean 'get inside'? I’m staying here to defend. This is my job."
For 20 long minutes, under heavy fire, David manned his machine gun and took out dozens of terrorists. He stopped them from getting to the living quarters and kidnapping soldiers, buying his friends critical time to get organized inside the base. David only fell after he fired the very last bullet in his magazine. Because of him, the massacre at the base and at Kibbutz Kissufim ended with much fewer casualties than the terrorists had planned.
"We came specifically to Kikar HaShabbat because we wanted to show our gratitude. They were the only media outlet that covered our son David’s funeral, and that closed a very important circle for us."
"God wanted us to be happy"
One of the most powerful moments in the interview is when the father talks about the day it happened. "For us, it’s not 'October 7th' and it’s not 'The Black Sabbath.' It’s Simchat Torah," he says with total faith. "We were in the synagogue in Modi'in Illit; we didn't hear sirens and we didn't know anything. God wanted us to keep celebrating, not to be in a state of fear and stress. We only realized something happened after the holiday ended."
The father talks about the small miracles that followed them even in the hardest moments, like how they managed to bury David that same Tuesday before sunset, despite how overwhelmed the cemeteries were that week. He also mentions a "closed circle": discovering that a baby was born on that exact same day and named David after him.
A message to everyone: "Everything happens by His word"
To wrap up, Rabbi Mitelman has one request for the 'Kikar HaShabbat' viewers: "We find strength in one thing, the blessing of 'Shehakol Nihiyah Bidvaro' (that everything happens by His word). Try to focus on that at least once a day, maybe over your first cup of coffee. Realize that everything that happens in the world, even the hardest trials, it’s all by God’s word. He runs the world, and we trust Him 100%."
In memory of the hero, Sergeant David Mittelman, who gave his life to sanctify God's name and protect the people of Israel.