Final journey ends in Negev wilderness, as Israel mourns a man reclaiming identity and truth.
Rescue teams from the Negev Rescue Unit recovered the body of Philip Gimmer on Sunday morning near the Ramon Crater. Gimmer had gone hiking with his dog, Goof, in the Mitzpe Ramon area and was killed after falling from a height. The dog was also found dead at the scene.
Search efforts began overnight after Gimmer was reported missing. At first light, rescue forces located both bodies in a rugged area close to the crater’s cliffs, underscoring the dangers posed by desert terrain even to experienced hikers.
The tragedy gained deeper resonance following the discovery of a personal post Gimmer shared on social media just days earlier. In the post, he described an intense inner journey and his decision to return to using his original name after years of distancing himself from it.
“For years I walked with a name that was not born with me, like a coat that fit well but was not mine,” he wrote, describing shame over his roots and accent. He concluded with words that now read as haunting: a return inward, “returning to my name, returning to myself.”
The post drew many responses and encouragements, and its emotional clarity has taken on profound significance in the wake of his sudden death.
Authorities are examining the circumstances of the incident. Rescue services again urged hikers and travelers to exercise extreme caution in desert regions, particularly near open cliffs, and to prepare carefully according to terrain and weather conditions.
