Eli Silverman was known for his smile and charm.
The 19-year-old UF business sophomore and Tau Epsilon Phi recruitment chair is remembered as a light among his campus community.
Silverman died of natural causes Aug. 11.
Max Rappoport, a 19-year-old UF business management sophomore and fellow fraternity member said Silverman’s happiness was contagious.
“The number one thing everyone talked about was his smile,” Rappoport said. “He always had the widest, biggest smile.”
Originally from Aventura, Florida, Silverman started his college career in Fall 2022.
His friends often described him as “the man,” and his character was marked by how he lit up every room.
Sammy Courtney, a 19-year-old UF film and TV production sophomore and TEP member had been childhood friends with Silverman. They met through their local Jewish Community Center in Aventura.
“One day I was at his house and he said to me, ‘We are BFFLs [best friends for life] now,’” Courtney said.
Eli was the kind of guy who made everyone he met feel like his best friend, Courtney said.
The first time Courtney saw Silverman at UF, Silverman greeted Courtney by the same childhood nickname, BFFL, they had given each other many years ago.
“He had a very charming way,” Courtney said. “Like he had joy, lots of joy.”
He remembered little details about everyone he met, and his legacy of friendliness and charm outlives him.
Silverman’s funeral on Aug. 13 showed the impact he had on those around him.
Ethan Ohana, a 19-year-old UF finance sophomore and TEP member, was impressed by the outpouring of support in the wake of Silverman’s death, he said.
“It was unbelievable,” Ohana said. “The auditorium could fit like 400 people and there was probably another 400 people standing up behind the seats.”
Silverman was passionate about sports and going to the gym. He especially loved the Miami Heat and playing flag football and golf with his fraternity brothers.
His dedication to fitness did not go unnoticed. Silverman was a frequent member at Miami Rule Fitness and collaborated on an online workout clothing line, Worn Out, with his close friend.
Outside of fitness and his fraternity, he loved to travel. Silverman spent his spring break in Bimini with his fraternity brothers, and the group was planning a second Bahamas trip before school started again.
Ohana spent part of his summer in Gainesville living with Silverman. They worked together to get to know freshmen interested in joining their fraternity in the fall.
“Summer was mainly [preparing for] rush,” Ohana said. “We were trying to gear ourselves for that and text as many kids as possible.”
Silverman’s legacy within UF’s chapter of Tau Epsilon Phi will continue to live on during this Fall’s fraternity recruitment season. He was set to be the recruitment chairperson, a position that Silverman thrived in as he was outgoing and passionate about growing his brotherhood.
To memorialize Silverman, his fraternity brothers bought him a brick at The Swamp Restaurant, his favorite spot to watch sports in Gainesville, and they plan to frame his jersey in the fraternity house.
“We want to take his Nose Bowl jersey and frame it,” Ohana said. “We want to make sure that it is in the house and he is never forgotten.”
Contact Megan Howard at mhoward@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @meganmhxward.
Megan Howard is a second-year journalism major and the K-12 Education reporter for The Alligator. When she's not writing, you can find her rewatching the Eras Tour movie or reading The Hunger Games series.
