Jeremy Isadore "Jerry" Levin (March 20, 1932 – February 6, 2020) was an American television journalist.[1] He wrote on nonviolence, with an emphasis on the Middle East and in particular Palestine and Israel.[2]
Life and career
In 1984, while working for
CNN, he was kidnapped and held hostage by
Hezbollah.[1] He escaped after eleven and a half
months in captivity due to the nonviolent behind-the-scene efforts of friends and colleagues organized by his wife, Sis Levin.[2][3] Of Jewish birth, Levin converted to Christianity during his captivity.[4][5][6]
In 1991, his story was made into the television film Held Hostage.[1] The film stars
David Dukes as Levin.
In April 2009 he and his wife were recognized by the Dalai Lama as one of
2009's "Unsung Heroes of Compassion".[8]
Personal life
Levin was born in Detroit in 1932.[9] He attended
Northwestern University and was in the
United States Navy.[9] He and his wife, Lucile "Sis" Levin (née Hare) had six children.[9] Levin lived in
Birmingham, Alabama at the end of his life, and died on February 6, 2020, at the age of 87.[9]
Books
Jerry Levin. Reflections on My First Noël. (Pasadena: Hope Publishing, 2002).
ISBN978-1-932717-06-8.
Jerry Levin. West Bank Diary: Middle East Violence as Reported by a Former American Hostage. (Pasadena: Hope Publishing, 2005).
ISBN978-1-932717-03-7.
^Seiple, Robert A. (2004). Ambassadors of Hope: How Christians Can Respond to the World's Toughest Problems. InterVarsity Press. p. 52.
ISBN978-0-8308-3223-1.
^Bradley, Gene E. (2004). Why I Can Believe in Modern Miracles. Xulon Press. pp. 47–54.
ISBN978-1-59467-831-8.