Benjamin Philip, 19-20, is a Canadian from Montreal who planned to join Israel’s army from a young age, according to a profile of him in Israeli publication CTech. Philip said, “My great-aunt and uncle and great-grandparents were all Holocaust survivors, and growing up I would always hear about what happened to them. It was very important to me as I got older to ensure that something like that would never happen again.”

Philip told the National Post: “I have a deep love for the country and a profound appreciation for the army, Israeli culture, and citizens’ patriotism. I realized that if I really wanted to be Israeli, part of that means protecting the country and our people.”

By 2023, Philip was already planning to move to Israel. As such, in August, he signed up for the Garin Tzabar program for lone soldiers, which was set to start in the winter. His decision was reinforced after witnessing the events of Oct. 7, 2023. “All that I could think about was not being able to do anything from Canada,” Philip told CTech, adding, “I wanted to come [to Israel] faster. I was thinking about my family here.”

His mother, Galia Philip, told The Canadian Jewish News (CJN) that Benjamin departed for Israel in December 2023 and hoped to join an elite army unit. The National Post noted that Philip was preparing for a March enlistment in a combat position.

In 2024, Benjamin told CTech that he was “deeply influenced” to join the army by his older brother, Eden Philip, who is also included in this database. Speaking of her two sons joining the army, Galia said, “My kids did it (enlisted) not because they had to but because they wanted to. To choose to go to the army, follow certain rules, being under strict conduct, takes a lot of courage. I’m proud of my two boys that that was their choice. I strongly believe that they will do their best and they will come back safe and sound.”

In October 2024, CJN published an update on Benjamin’s status: “Galia Philip said her son Ben is finishing his training in a paratrooping unit, completing his parachuting course and sniper training. Ben overcame an injury during training and is now preparing to serve in a parachuting unit. She anticipates he will be deployed to Gaza or Lebanon.”

(A version of this mini-bio was originally published in a November 2024 article at The Maple.)