Jacob Levine's Eulogy for his brother Benjamin (Pt. 2): 

The great wisdom of these books is their answer: that there is no answer. We have no knowledge. The universe is a riddle to which no solution can ever be given. This is also the answer of Socrates, the father of Western philosophy, who taught us that we fundamentally know nothing. Job is rewarded by God but never receives a satisfactory answer to his charges against the Almighty. Ecclesiastes offers no solution either, except to tell us how we might live.
           The words of Chapter three are famous, that for everything there is a season, a time for every matter under heaven, a time to be born and a time to die. But in chapter eight Solomon says: I therefore praised enjoyment. For the only good a man can have under the sun is to eat and drink and enjoy himself. That much can accompany him, in exchange for his wealth, through the days of life that God has granted him under the sun. For I have set my mind to learn wisdom and to observe the business that goes on in the world - even to the extent of going without sleep day and night - and I have observed all that God brings to pass. Indeed, man cannot guess the events that occur under the sun. For man tries strenuously, but fails to guess them; and even if a sage should think to discover them he would not be able to guess them (JPS H-E Tanakh).
 Ben, wherever you are, you have now rejoined, and perhaps found out, the great mystery. I hope it has brought you peace at last. I will always love you, to the end of my days.

Jacob Levine's Eulogy for his brother Benjamin (Pt. 1):

Ben was my best friend since the day I was born. A brother with whom our bond was rooted not just in blood, but in spirit. We shared so many passions and interests, hopes and fears, joys and sufferings. But what I loved most about Ben was his caring, adventurous, and inquisitive spirit.
 He was both kind and brilliant. I still don’t understand how he did so much while suffering so much. He traveled to the ends of the Earth to see nature in all its glory, and studied science and religion in order to understand his existence in this world. He read physics and math books for fun, taught himself Spanish, learned to read Arabic on his own, and always dazzled everyone with his encyclopedic knowledge of his special interests.
 Ben was born into a world not designed for his mind and flourishing. Yet he fought every day to make a meaningful life for himself. I saw his suffering and felt it whenever we spent time together. I felt so helpless as he tried in vain to overcome his illness. Yet I thought that he would endure. I thought we’d grow old together and travel the world, and that our love and mutual support would overcome his pain.
 Ben believed that the answers to the most profound questions might give him peace, and the nature of his mind made it impossible to abandon this futile endeavor. He knew this, and still the questions haunted him. And I know they would have never stopped haunting him.
 The Hebrew Bible contains much wisdom, and no books more so than Ecclesiastes and Job. Ben and I loved these ancient texts, for they wrestled with the greatest problems of the human condition: why do we exist? Why do the good suffer and the evil prosper? Why doesn’t God show his face? Why is He silent? How are we to live in a universe that seems meaningless?

Our son Isaiah is an incoming senior at Fort Hamilton High School. He never had the privilege of having Mr. Levine as a teacher, but this news affected us. This school definitely is a family and any loss like this is felt by all. May his soul rest in peace and may his family find comfort in the lives he touched.

Levine -
You taught me astronomy for my senior year at Fort Hamilton.  I didn't get to chance to converse with you as I would've liked to, as I am an extremely quiet person by nature.  But I noticed time and again the sensitivity you took with your students.  There were many non-English students in our class, and you baffled me numerous times with your complete fluency in Spanish and Arabic.  I remember how you would play multicultural music in class, which I always felt was very thoughtful.  I remember the passion with which you spoke about the universe and its complexities.  I grew to love the quiet peace I would have when coming to your class.   Your class was sort of a safe haven for me.  I am very saddened to hear of your passing and send my love to all of your friends and family.

Mr. Levine, I am sorry we never actually met, though I heard only good things about you from my daughter and her friends, your students. You were a kind, deeply thoughtful, and giving person, and the world is a better place because of you. A giteh neshumeh. My deepest sympathy to your family.

I'm still struggling to process that I'm writing this.

I was one of Mr. Levine's physics students during my junior year, around 2020 to 2021, in the middle of the pandemic. We only ever knew each other through a screen, but I'll carry what he gave me for the rest of my life.

That year I was going through something. I fell behind in school, missing assignments, feeling hopeless. I told Mr. Levine I was struggling, bracing for a lecture. Instead, he told me gently that he understood, not to worry, and that things would eventually get better. I didn't believe him then. But him saying it anyway gave me something to hold onto when I had nothing else.

He kept showing up after that, bringing warmth and humor into a subject that had every reason to feel impossible that year. He gave me a 100 in his class, not because he lowered the bar, but because he genuinely helped me learn while I was quietly falling apart.
I thanked him then, through a small message on a screen. I never got to thank him in person, the way he deserved. After I graduated, I told myself I'd reach out someday. That day never came, and I'll regret that forever.

I just finished college, with a future I'm not sure I'd have without him. Instead of sharing that with him, I learned he was gone.
He was there for me during my darkest year, and I never knew he might've needed someone too. I wish I'd asked how he was doing, even once.

Mr. Levine, thank you for the grade, and more than that, for the grace. You were the best teacher I ever had. My condolences to his family and everyone who loved him. He'll be deeply missed.

Rest in peace, Mr. Levine.

It is with sadness that I learned of the passing of our colleague. Although I did not have the opportunity to know him personally, we were part of the same school community at Fort Hamilton High School. My heartfelt condolences go out to his family, friends, and all who had the privilege of knowing and working with him. May they find comfort, strength, and peace during this difficult time.

OBITUARY

Benjamin Seth Levine

August 22, 1985 – June 27, 2026

Boulevard Riverside Chapels

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