Avraham Daniel Embon, 21, Buenos Aires

I knew Avraham Daniel since he was born, and the pain of his loss hit me not only as a member of Klal Yisrael, but also as a close family friend.

He was a wonderful bochur, focused only on learning. He didn’t see it as an imposition, but as the only true way of living. I’ve been a rebbi in the kehillah for more than 30 years, and I know how rare it is to find a bochur in Argentina who isn’t at all interested in soccer. But he truly didn’t care about it. His passion was within the walls of the beis medrash.

Even since he was a young child he was very responsible, always on time to  minyanim, to classes. I spent shabbatonim with him, camps, trips, davening, shiurim, and he was like that always. He got along with others; I never, ever saw him having difficulty getting along with another bochur.

I’ve known his father, Rabbi Dan Embon (also a rabbi in the kehillah), for more than 20 years, and I’ve seen how much he’s invested in imbuing into his family with the sense that Torah is the answer and the goal for everything. Everyone in Buenos Aires looks up to the Embons. Their married children all learn in kollel or are married to avreichim, and we were sure Avraham Daniel was going to follow that path as well.