Elkana was born in Toronto, Canada, while his parents were on an educational mission, and at the age of two, he returned with his family to Israel.
He began his journey with Magen David Adom at the age of 15 as a youth volunteer at the Magen David Adom Jerusalem station, often performing shifts alongside his father, Magen David Adom EMT Avri Neulander. He later trained as an EMT and served as a volunteer in the Immediate Response Unit. His classmates recalled how he would get up in the middle of a lesson to respond to an emergency call, treat an accident or assist in a birth, and then return to his studies.
At the beginning of the war, he volunteered as a combat EMT in Be’eri and later requested to join the fighting forces in Gaza as an EMT. Moshe Benita, a paramedic at the Magen David Adom Jerusalem station and his friend, described him as “a great volunteer for whom human lives were paramount.”
He grew up in Efrat as one of seven siblings and studied law at Bar Ilan University.
Elkana fell to sniper fire in Al-Bureij in the central Gaza Strip on January 9, 2024.
Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, Elkana continued to volunteer devotedly with Magen David Adom, extending a hand and assisting his community members wherever needed.
He was laid to rest in the Kfar Etzion cemetery. He is survived by his parents, two brothers, and four sisters.
An ambulance bearing his name was dedicated in his memory by Magen David Adom, thus continuing his mission of saving lives.
May his memory be a blessing.