The late Shmuel Boikner, an Israeli citizen in his 30s, was killed yesterday (Friday) after being attacked by an elephant in Chitwan National Park in southern Nepal.
He left behind a pair of doctor parents and two younger brothers.
The late Wikner grew up and was educated in Or Akiva, and later moved to California where he began studying at medical school. After five years, he transferred to Ben-Gurion University in Beersheba, in order to complete his degree and establish himself in Israel.
Want more news, videos and stories? Join the Haredim 10 WhatsApp channel >>
His mother, Dr. Tatiana Boykner, told News 12 about the difficult news: "My son was supposed to come home this Thursday. He worked in a hospital in Nepal because he wanted to lend a hand and help with medicine in the Third World. He dedicated his entire life to giving.".
She added: "He chose to study medicine because he saw it as a mission. It's hard to explain how much he wanted to be a doctor, and it was at the end of the challenging path, while volunteering in a nature reserve, that he died. It's a great tragedy.".
Boekner, an intern at Soroka Medical Center in Beer Sheva, was in Nepal with an Israeli delegation to volunteer at a local hospital.
Alex, a close friend of Shmulik, told Hadashot 12: "The man was gold, one of the happiest people I knew. He was a good friend, there is no one who hasn't encountered him on the road and heard something special about him, there are no people like him. We received the news from the family yesterday. Everyone is in shock, we can't digest it, this is an abnormal situation. There are no words to describe it. It's crazy, this situation is just trying to imagine it, I hope he didn't suffer, that it was quick. He was a man of adventure, his whole life was one big adventure - and he went on an adventure too.".
The Israeli Consul at the Embassy in Kathmandu, Dana Fischer, and Tal Bleugrund from the Department for Israelis Abroad are in contact with the family and are assisting with arrangements to transfer the coffin to Israel.
