Daniel Eliezer Brenne was born in Chicago on November 9, 1951, to Shoshana and Shlomo. He attended Akiva Elementary School in Chicago, where he excelled in all his studies. He then continued his education at the high school yeshiva of the “Beit Midrash for Torah,” where he stood out in both religious and secular studies. During this time, he also served as a counselor in the local Bnei Akiva branch.
In the summer of 1969, after graduating from high school, Danny immigrated to Israel with his family. He joined a training program at Kibbutz Sa’ad and was later part of a Nahal group affiliated with Chai Castle. He served as a squad commander in an infantry battalion.
When the Yom Kippur War broke out, Danny fought in a combat unit of the parachute infantry in the Golan Heights.
After the war, he began his academic studies, earning both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in physics and chemistry at the Hebrew University. He then pursued further studies at the Feinberg Graduate School of the Weizmann Institute of Science. His instructors and colleagues regarded him as a rising star in the world of science.
Danny also volunteered for the Perach mentoring program. When a student's mother once offered to pay him, he gently refused and instead suggested a “compromise”, that the money be donated to charity. In the summers, he tutored students in physics and chemistry, and each day he studied a page of Gemara with Rabbi Hacohen-Kook.
Danny fell in battle in Lebanon on June 8, 1982, in the central square of Sidon, as his unit attempted to clear the main intersection of terrorist activity. He was laid to rest in the cemetery in Pardes Hannah.
He is survived by his wife Varda (née Gerfredt), his parents, sister Esti, and brother-in-law. His commander shared that over many years of service in the unit, Danny stood out as a soldier who carried out his duties with courage, remarkable self-control, and unwavering belief in his path and actions.
In his memory, the Feinberg Graduate School established an annual award in his name for outstanding students , ensuring that Danny’s name remains forever linked to excellence, a place he undoubtedly belonged.
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