Having spoken with Justin numerous times over the years, Rabbi Beer observed that the typically low-key teen became animated when speaking about his Torah learning.
“He was so thrilled to get the opportunity to learn for the first time in his life,” said Rabbi Beer.
Justin, who turned 20 on March 25, had recently returned from his first trip to Israel.
“He called it a life altering experience and couldn’t wait to go back,” said Rabbi Beer.
Possibly Justin’s most notable quality, according to Rabbi Beer, was that despite his many successes in academics and athletics he stayed grounded.
“He was captain of the football team in high school, valedictorian, class president, on the debate team and the chess team, and yet I was struck that this incredible boy who was a super athlete and super student was so humble when you spoke to him. He spoke with such respect and such modesty.”
Justin’s funeral was held at the Boulevard-Riverside Chapel in Hewlett, with over one hundred midshipmen traveling from Annapolis to Long Island by bus to pay their respects to their fallen classmate.
“It was an incredible experience,” noted Rabbi Beer. “It was a total cross section of every type of person, from all religions, races, and creeds. There were hundreds of people, with many military people, and who knows how many naval officers in uniform.”
Justin was eulogized by several people, including his commanding officer, Captain Brandy Soublet.
“Justin was a truly phenomenal young man, one of our top-performing midshipmen,” said Captain Soublet. “But not only was he top-performing, he was just a man of immense character.”
The funeral, which included full military honors, was a deeply emotional experience.
“I looked around at the military people who were there,” said Rabbi Beer. “They are trained not to show emotion and are usually so disciplined but they were all sobbing. One speaker noted that there were hundreds of people at the funeral and they all came because while Justin was an extremely talented person and a super athlete, he could have been so into himself – but instead he was so into everyone else and was everyone’s best friend.”
Throughout his short life, Justin wore his Jewish identity with great pride and was respected for his religious convictions.
“Justin was proud of his Yiddishkeit and known for his Judaism,” said Rabbi Beer. “His many good deeds and actions made a true kiddush Hashem and it was evident in his final months that he was moving toward greater ruchnius and spirituality. He was moving in the right direction. He just didn’t get a chance to complete that mission.”