Lee Nachman Akunis was born in New York while his parents, Moshe and Vivika, were living temporarily in the U.S. After returning to Israel, the family lived in Holon and then moved to Sweden where Vivika was born. After his parents divorced, Lee and his father returned to Israel so that Lee could finish high school and serve in the army. On Friday evening, February 15, 2002, St. Sgt. Akunis was manning an IDF checkpoint near Surda village north of Ramallah when he was shot at close range by a Palestinian gunman. He was 20 years old and is survived by his parents, a sister and two brothers.
