Cohen, Shlomi

Ben Aliza and Shimon. He was born on the 20th of Adar Alef 5736 (February 20, 1976) in Rehovot. A twin brother to Ronit, and Chen and Barak’s brother. Ronit recounts: “We celebrated all our birthdays together, always with two cakes at the garden celebrations, and I was the one who sang and danced, and you are shy, Mother forced you to participate, but you preferred to let others be in the center.” Shlomi attended the Smilansky elementary school in Rehovot. A humane and sensitive child, a loyal friend and a loving and loving son. When he was in fifth grade, he adopted a child with partial retardation, who was rejected by the company, and for a long time he had a brother. Even after many years, a boy told him that this was the most beautiful period of his life. When he reached Bar Mitzvah age, after a big celebration in the streets, Shlomi traveled to Europe in the classical world. “The group’s pearl,” the tour guide called him. He was the youngest of the group, the one in London who preferred to visit the Natural History Museum rather than go shopping. Shlomi continued his studies in Rehovot’s junior high and high school. In the 10th grade, he took part in a training course for young instructors from the Gadna and afterward served as a guide in his school, and his mother says he was always surrounded by friends: “We would go to sleep with four children at home and get up with more. Shlomi always distributed sleeping bags, backpacks, water bottles, hats … Everything was scattered among the members. “In August 1994, Shlomi joined the IDF. While he was in high school, he planned to go on a pilot course and participated in the formation of elite units, and finally decided to join the paratroopers. At the end of basic training, Shlomi discovered a medical problem that disqualified him from parachuting and he was forced to leave the paratroopers. He was asked to take down a profile, but refused and went on to serve in the Nahal Brigade, where he graduated with honors and became a training instructor. Later, Shlomi left for an officer’s course. “At the graduation ceremony of the officer’s course, we were surprised to hear your name on the loudspeaker,” the parents say. “Shlomi Cohen, the outstanding trainee.” And you did not bother to tell us, as if it did not matter at all. But you know, we all knew how wonderful you were, how singular and special you were. “As an officer, Shlomi served as platoon commander, company commander and company commander at the base of the recruits in Zikim. Shlomi was able to serve in a regular army unit and set up a rearguard unit, but he strove tirelessly for a combat unit, and only after he had exhausted himself in Zikim did he become a brigade commander in the Jordan Valley Brigade. His commander, Lt. Col. Zvika, said: “… After it became clear that Shlomi was not a regular company commander, but an outstanding officer, a role model and a personality admired by his subordinates, he was appointed commander of the spearhead company. Thanks to his hard work, perseverance, industriousness, devotion and willpower, Shlomi brought the company to amazing professionalism and capabilities, and to the situation in which soldiers are capable of carrying out very complex operations. Shlomi led the company during the tidal wave, Operation Defensive Shield and many other activities in Area A, mainly in Qalqiliya. “The number of meetings we held during the joint work revealed to me a unique figure,” said Yehuda Lieberman, head of the Karnei Shomron Council. An extraordinary combination of a professional officer, a fearless leader, and a sensitive man whose smile never left his face. When he arrived on vacation, he first called to confirm that his soldiers had arrived at their home, and called the unit to make sure that fresh food arrived at all the soldiers at the checkpoints. He fell asleep for twenty hours, because in the army he hardly sleptBrought clothes and electrical equipment as a gift to his soldiers. Shlomi used to turn to each member of the family in various areas: his mother for donations and productions, such as hosting his fellow officers at home, his father for errands at the bank, and helping to keep his apartment in Rehovot, where he moved to his twin sister Ronit in 2001 to exchange experiences with his brother Barak in Tel Aviv For consultations. “No matter how old I was,” says Chen, “Shlomi is always protective, always worried, Shlomi always cares and he is always interested … We were talking about everything, and he would respond straight and to the point …” In May 2002 Shlomi He was released from the IDF and began to plan his future, but since his successor was delayed, he agreed to extend his service in the month On June 19, 2002, Shlomi fell in battle in Qalqiliya. During an operation to locate wanted persons, a force under his command entered a four-story building, and at the entrance to one of the apartments Shlomi, who entered first, was shot by a terrorist who was hiding in the area. He was killed on the spot. Staff Sergeant Yosef Talbi was also killed when he was twenty-six years old when Shlomi was killed. He was laid to rest at the military cemetery in Rehovot. Survived by his parents, two sisters and a brother. The Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Shaul Mofaz, wrote to the family: “Shlomi was described as a determined and meticulous person, who devoted himself entirely to the goal he was in. His commanders testify that he was a dedicated officer and that he performed his duties in the best possible way. All the above, as well as the joy of life and the smile that characterized him, Shlomi was loved and loved by those around him, and the heart aches for the death of a talented officer and a wonderful person who was one of the pillars of the unit. ” “I think there are not enough words and pages to describe you, what you did for me, and I’m sure that for others, too, I’m certain of a certain thing,” says Yifat, a soldier who served under Shlomi’s command in the Jordan Valley. The others, like you did when you were alive, say that someone who does a good deed in life receives wings from God … Iddo, who was a subordinate of Shlomi, writes: “Brother, friend, son, commander, mentor, Caring, courageous, hardworking, bold (the most positive I have ever seen), loved and loved … These are just some of the words that come to mind when I remember you, Shlomi, the first commander I knew in the battalion … Billy Nachshon is you, walking forward first without hesitation or fear, first in life, in battle, in responsibility and in personal example … “Shlomi’s soldiers write:” We had the right to be your soldiers from the first day we arrived in the army. , But also a father and an educator who takes care of us all the time, and runs all day long just to make us feel good.Not everyone admitted it at first, but we really loved you as a friend of arms … All you need is a young soldier to become an experienced warrior, In the army in particular and in life in general … keep on protecting us from above, and know that we love you and appreciate everything you did for us. As far as we are concerned, you continue to lead us as a commander, a father and a member of the army in the continuation of our military service. We will never forget you. “Shlomi’s childhood friends write:” … where to start? Where to finish? We can talk about you for months and years, but we’ll never be able to illustrate how great you were … It’s hard to tell about all the experiences we went through together. How much warmth, how much giving, so much love and place in the heart of one man’s gold. You’re up there with the angels, and we’re sure they’re embarrassed when they’re standing next to an angel like you.A man in men, a friend of friends. Always helps, always first, it’s your way and it’s your heritage. “His pictures are hanging on the wall / his smile looks from all the corners / and our heart is broken, covered with a cloud / you want to stroke it one last time.” This warm, family-like guy / we had a son and was not lying under cold stone and soft sand. // And our heart is torn, unwilling to absorb / want to talk to him at least one more time. // The sequenced and nurtured second generation / We had a brother, and he / she? I had a friend, a commander and a man / I had a grandson, and he was lost / charming, beautiful, kind and smart. // He went away without a break. “The family founded the Shlomi Fund, which aims to perpetuate its memory and instill Shlomi’s legacy – giving and helping others, love of man as a person, love of the homeland, dedication and willingness to give without asking for compensation The fund collects donations and provides economic assistance to IDF soldiers, including the adoption of the Nachshon battalion in which Shlomi served, the distribution of arms and sport shirts to soldiers, recreation for soldiers in vacation units Affinity with Club Hotel hotels, and economic assistance to needy soldiers. In a ceremony marking the distribution of weapons, held in September 2002, fighters and commanders of the Nachshon Battalion write: “… Dear Cohen family, Shlomi was a family for all of us and now you will fill the void he left for us. We embrace you in our hearts and hope that you will embrace us as you would. On the eve of Rosh Hashanah and the beginning of the holiday season, the pain is intensified because it is not with us – giving, caring, caring and helping the soldiers in general and the needy in particular – something that characterized Shlomi and his actions. Wherever the unit is, Shlomi will go with us. ” On 4 February 2003, an evening was held in memory of Shlomi, which included speeches by commanders and friends and performances by artists. All the proceeds of the evening were given to the fund. To his memory, the movie “Be Strong” was produced, which tells about Shlomi. The film was screened on several television channels. The family entered a Torah scroll in memory of Shlomi to the Ezra Sopher Synagogue in Rehovot, and donated a Torah cover to the Aloni Shilo synagogue in Karnei Shomron. The family members established in memory of Shlomi a website on the Internet at www.shlomicohen.co.il.