Cohen, Eli-Rafael

Son of Sa’adia (HaKohen) and Rebecca. He was born in the city of Fez in Morocco on 21.9.1952, where he spent four years in the local “room.” In 1962, the family immigrated to Israel and settled in Jerusalem, where Rafi was nine and a half years old . He was admitted to the second grade of the Beit Yaakov elementary school and completed his studies in this school and received a certificate of excellence for his academic achievements. Later on, Rafi went to the ORT vocational school in Jerusalem and studied for three years in the framework of general frameworks, and in this school, Rafi was also an outstanding student and received the book ‘The War on Jerusalem’ in recognition of his diligence. During his studies, Rafi was a member of the Hanoar Haoved Haleumi youth movement, first as a trainee and then as a mentor.In the past two years, Rafi organized and guided his children and the neighborhood children who called him very much. Eli Rafael was drafted into the Israel Defense Forces in early November 1970 and was deployed to the air force. His commanders, who soon completed his technical skills, decided to advance him and send him to various technical courses at the IAF Technical School, where he successfully completed various equipment courses: a ground-equipment mechanic and an auxiliary equipment mechanic. On his return to his base he was appointed, despite his relatively low rank, to manage the equipment department at the base and he successfully carried out the mission. The periodic opinions of his commanders were praiseworthy: “He fulfills his duties at a high level, dedicated, responsible, and with very good professional knowledge.” Thanks to his part in the Yom Kippur War, the war signal was not awarded. During his service, he met his future wife, Perla. The two married and built their home in Be’er Sheva. When their daughter Hagit was born, it was a holiday for him. Raphi was very attached to his parents and his brothers and sisters, and even when he built his house, the ties were not cut off. When he was loved by his commanders and subordinates in the army, he created a warm family nest surrounded by friends and lovers. On February 27, 1977, Rafi fell to the military cemetery in Be’er Sheva, leaving behind a wife and daughter, parents, five sisters and two brothers. In a letter of condolence to the family, his commander wrote: “Even when he was a sergeant, he was offered to take over the management of the land-painting department in our unit. Despite his youth, he accepted the challenge and stood with respect and distinction all along. Rafi was able to integrate socially well and was the most popular and accepted among all his followers. He was one of us. A few days before the disaster, Rafi faced the challenge of succeeding in the criticism of the Peres maintenance committee. Raffi prepared his department at a level that was highly appreciated. “To commemorate his name, the family donated a parochet, holy books, a chandelier and two soul candles to the Magen David Synagogue in the Baka neighborhood of Jerusalem.