Cohen, Pinchas (Fini)

Ben Rivka and Isaac. He was born on 17.7.1978 in Ofra. A third child to his parents, brother to Meital, Itai, David Chai, Inbal and Naama. His birth was accompanied by special excitement because of a rare coincidence and date: Pinchas was born on the day the mourning year for the death of his grandfather, after whom he was born, was over, sixty-one years earlier, on the 17th of Tammuz, At the Nahalat Binyamin elementary school in Ofra, and was educated by his mother, who taught him in grades 1 and 2. He went on to the junior high school in Ofra and completed his high school studies at the Bnei Akiva yeshiva in Moshav Nir Galim. He continued to be a member of the Bnei Akiva youth movement in Ofra. “The connection you created with all of them was unique,” said Tami, a fellow instructor. “Always,” she says, “the connection between them was unique and unique. You smiled, you cared about anyone who did not come, asked and asked, and sometimes you even dragged me home. “The students, for their part, admired Pinchas, appeared to each activity and drank his words thirstily. Changing patterns of behavior and belief. After completing high school, Pinchas went to the Otsem pre-military academy in Atzmona, where he studied for a year and a half. He devoted his time to the study, to an in-depth discussion of various issues, especially self-service and observance. In the Mechina he was strengthened by his opinions and thoughts, his character traits were molded and shaped, and his connection to the Torah, the land, and the people of the trees and its roots. Pinchas was one of the initiators of the bi-weekly newsletter of the yeshiva students, who was sent to their older friends who had served in the army, and who was intended to encourage them, to strengthen their spirit and to maintain contact with them. Soon he became the editor of the leaflet. While he waited for his recruitment and was restless, he took advantage of the time and turned a sandy area, next to the dormitories in the preparatory school, into an ornately decorated garden. One of the members says: “Pinchas was a driving force, he always radiated power and breathed vitality into all those around him … He did not allow anyone to remain silent or sink into meaningless thoughts …” Pinchas loved every person A person. Was a devoted and close friend for many and gave equal treatment to all. His friend, Shai, says: “Fini’s listening ability and analysis brought him close to many people and friends who admired him, even in the wee hours of the night, if you were preoccupied, you could turn to Fini-and he listened as though he were all there, At least for a week’s thought… He knew-miraculously-to bring the less prominent people closer and give them confidence… His presence was so quiet but with such strong inner strengths. ” Pinchas was a man whose mouth and heart were equal – honesty and honesty were his trademark. He is considered a pursuer of justice who professes to tell the truth, without cutting corners, even if he has to pay a heavy price for it. From childhood, he was endowed with uncompromising self-criticism and constantly examined his personal qualities and professional abilities. He believed wholeheartedly that man could always improve and apply it in practice. On the different sides of Pinchas’ personality, his mother wrote: “He had a polarity: On the one hand he was serious and devoting a thought to everything, but he was full of life, he loved to laugh and joke and he had a healthy humor, The big, beautiful eyes, the bright, good eyes, the eyesLuminous and mischievous sea. The eyes said everything: “Pinchas loved the country and its landscapes, and on every occasion he went on trips and documented them in many hundreds of pictures, he had a musical bent and found that the music calms him down. Pinhas also found peace in the sea: Sometimes he only sat, watched and listened to the sound of the waves, and sometimes swam and dived – two hobbies that he devoted to his time whenever possible – at the end of March 1998, Pinchas enlisted in the IDF. He began his combat path in the Givati ​​Brigade and stood out with honors. At the beginning of his service he aspired to his officer and his commanders. Indeed, about two years later he successfully completed an officers’ course and became a platoon commander in the Givati ​​Brigade. Pinchas recognized the importance of education that should be imparted to the soldier and thought that this was the way to shape the entire Israeli society. Throughout his career, he devoted his time to thoughts about ways to instill values ​​and morals in his soldiers and to study different ideas. He believed wholeheartedly that first of all the soldiers must be made to be reliable; Professionalization is only second, he argued. “The first rule is to believe in a soldier, to believe in his power and to believe in his success … To listen to a soldier … Never underestimate what the soldier says, even if it seems foolish … To be sensitive to his problems (just like my mother) ) … Remember – not every soldier has the qualities of a warrior, I have to give him patience, and if I can not blame me, not the soldier. ” Pinchas was endowed with sensitivity and a keen eye. When he identified situations of crisis or difficulties, he would immediately enlist for help without being referred to him. He did more to discover that one of his subordinates was in dire financial straits; He organized his entire department, which donated a day off to work in a grape harvest. At the end of the workday, he quietly handed over the revenue to the excited soldier, in the name of the entire department. “It is an example of how to act in Israeli reality,” says Baal HaKerem, “a quiet, devoted, educational example, even when we are in a supposedly foreign environment.” Pinchas did most of his service in the Gaza Strip. When he completed his regular service he married Yael. The two built their home in Jerusalem, where they lived for one year. On his feelings after the wedding, he wrote frankly to his parents: “On this day, when I took my beloved Yael and started to build our own nest, on this day there was also something sad because I also left a house. From which I drew my love for the Torah, my love for the land and my love for man as a human being, a home in which I learned what giving, what kindness and respect, and all the wonderful values ​​that I absorbed in my parents’ home. The intense connection between Pinchas and Yael indicates one of the friends who was staying at home: “There is so much love between you that every minute of your life would make everyone happy and smile. In March 2001, Pinchas began his career as a lieutenant. On the 22nd of Adar 5762 (February 6, 2002) Pinchas fell in combat in Gush Katif. During the operation he was shot and killed by our forces near Khan Yunis. He was twenty-four years old when he fell. He was laid to rest at the military cemetery on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. Survived by his wife, parents, three sisters and two brothers. On his grave he eulogized Pinchas, his brother, David, also a soldier in the Givati ​​reconnaissance unit: “Pini, you had all the qualities that an Israeli warrior needed.In the study of war, even when it comes at the expense of your privacy. Righteousness: True love for your soldiers and fighters who were with you. The degree of courage: You had the courage to prove it many times. But most of all you had the recognition of an Israeli warrior: the strong link to the people of Israel. And that’s what pushed you, too. “Pinchas’ mother wrote to her memory:” Pinchas … you taught me to see the good, to see the full half of the glass. You taught me to look inside and not in a pitcher. The exterior was not important to you but the face. You taught me to be sensitive. You taught me to throw away the nuisance and nurture the main thing. You taught me to be happy. You taught me unlimited hospitality and compromise. You taught me what humility is. You taught me to ask forgiveness. You taught me to say thank you. “The words were published in the local newspaper Ofra, and Pinchas’s father wrote:” Look, my son, we did not know you enough, and what we know is nothing but a comma, because in your absence, in the days of the shiva, This is how the words of light and splendor: / about love of man, modesty and humility / about devotion and love / true friendship without separation lines / concern for the family and a single pride … And you are up there, you looked up from heaven and said: A childhood friend talks about the special relationship between Pinchas and his senior colleagues: “A bond that he did not initiate or pursue, he was created out of his great recognition, with a contribution that you would make Nathan. So it happened that in the yeshiva they accompanied him personally and made worlds to create for him the environment that suited him. This is how a special and very significant connection was established between him and the head of the preparatory program at Atzmona, and so Pini was granted freedom of action as a commander, he was given permission for the most crazy ideas he had, and one of his pupils wrote to remember: “Fini, I knew you were destined for greatness. Challenges did not deter you. They only made you want to go through them and even if you passed them you would not have doubted if you did not know that you did it as well as possible … You made me want to donate from myself because you succeeded and I will always try. “In Pinchas’ estate, The following words he wrote: “… joy without pain is not joy. Living without death is only an illusion … A wound can be restrained, a blow can be taken away, any physical pain can be restrained. The death of a person has to be painful, painful and insufferable. But we must continue. It’s very painful but you have to continue. To know that your friend was killed in battle, to know that your friend was killed in an accident, to know that your friend was killed everywhere is difficult, but you must continue. We must continue with life. Without stopping, just think and think a lot without talking much, because then the power to do is over. Just to do, to push and move … and it is also important to cry, because the pain takes out everything at such moments, and so it is easier afterwards to continue. “