Thousands attend funeral of lone soldier who died of allergy attack

Thousands of people attended the funeral on Tuesday night of IDF Sgt. Maj. (res.) Jordan Cooper, a lone soldier from Pennsylvania who died from an allergic reaction weeks after fighting with his infantry unit against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Cooper, whose funeral was held at the Ganei Esther cemetery in the Tel Aviv suburb of Rishon Letzion, began his service in 2018 in the Nahal Brigade’s Reconnaissance Battalion.

He came to Israel through the Garin Tzabar program, which facilitates military service for Israelis and Diaspora Jews who do not have parents living in the country, and served for three and a half years, before returning to the United States where his family lives.

After the Oct. 7 Hamas-led massacre, which killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and triggered the now 10-month-old war in Gaza, the 26-year-old returned to Israel to fight alongside his comrades in the reserve battalion for 200 days.

About three weeks after being discharged from the reserves, Cooper’s mother bought halva at a market in Tel Aviv, after the seller assured her that it did not contain any nuts. At home, he had a severe allergic reaction after eating the halva. He received an Epipen injection but later collapsed in front of his family when the ambulance arrived and was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.

His funeral in Rishon Letzion, which was home to his adoptive Israeli family during his military service, was attended by thousands of Israelis who came to pay their last respects at the request of his family in the United States since some members were unable to get to Israel due to flight cancellations spurred by the tensions in the region.

His adoptive family in Israel told Ynet that after the Hamas massacre Cooper knew that he wanted to live in Israel.

“After October 7, Jordan understood that Israel was his home,” Shlomo Asur said. “He planned to build a life here, marry his girlfriend and start a family.”