Like a handful of other American Jews in their late teens, Ezra
Schwartz went to Israel after high school graduation.
Schwartz had
been accepted to college in the United States but decided to spend a gap year
in Israel at a yeshiva, a Jewish educational institution where students study
religious texts.
The 18-year-old
was volunteering in the West Bank on Thursday, delivering food to Israeli
soldiers, when he was killed.
"That was
just the kind of kid he was -- making sure the people around him were taken
care of," his longtime camp counselor, DJ Niedober, told CNN.
At a crowded
intersection in Gush Etzion, an unidentified gunman fired shots from his
vehicle and rammed pedestrians at a busy intersection in, killing three people, including
Schwartz.
Israel Defense
Forces said that the attacker was Palestinian. Police have issued a gag order
barring the media from reporting any details of the investigation and anything
that could identify the suspect.
"Ezra
came to Israel not only to study but also to be a part of the vibrant Israeli
experience," Natan Sharansky, the chairman of the executive for the Jewish
Agency for Israel, said in a statement. "This makes his death even more
tragic."
Schwartz, who
was from the Boston suburb of Sharon, loved sports and was a very active,
energetic kid, Niedober said.
"The only
thing he really cared about was having fun, you know, and having a good time --
and making sure the people around him were having a good time," he said.
"We knew he could do great things, and he was just starting to."
William Barry,
who calls Schwartz one of his best friends, met him at summer camp when he was
10 years old.
He told CNN in
an email that Schwartz was one of the "most loving, caring and fun-loving
people" he knew.
"He lit
up every room he entered and knew how to make anyone smile no matter how upset
they were," Barry said. "Ezra leaves this world as a kind, caring
brother, friend and role model to many, but his lasting memories and love will
never be forgotten."
Schwartz went
to high school in Brookline, Massachusetts, and graduated this year.
"The
whole school went into shock," Lori Kipnes, a teacher at his alma mater -- the Maimonides School -- told CNN
affiliate WCVB.
"We
watched him grow," said his rabbi, Meir Sendor. "It's devastating.
It's heartbreaking."
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