Cohen, Shlomo

Shlomo, son of Luna and Yitzhak, was born in 1939 in Aleppo, Syria, and immigrated to Israel with his family in 1940. He studied at the elementary school in Gan Yavne and then continued to study for a year at the ORT vocational school in Rehovot. After immigrating to Israel, Shlomo’s family settled in Gan Yavneh, and there, Shlomo spent most of his life. During his studies, he was a member of the Hanoar Haoved movement. After completing his studies in the vocational school, Shlomo began farming on his father’s farm. Shlomo was drafted into the IDF in early February 1959 and assigned to the Armored Corps, and after completing his basic training course in the Sherman tank, Shlomo was appointed as a tank gunner in the Armored Corps, during which he participated in the Six Day War. After his discharge, Shlomo worked in agriculture and then opened a grocery store in Gan Yavneh In the 1969 elections he was active in the Rafi list for the Knesset And the local council Gan Yavneh. He was sent with his unit to the Sinai and participated in the braking battles as a contact in a tank. In a battle that took place on the 8th of Tishrei 5734 (October 8, 1973) in the hills opposite Qantara, in the northern sector of the Suez Canal, a missile hit the turret of his tank and Shlomo was hit and killed. He was laid to rest in the military cemetery on Mount Herzl. He left behind a wife and son (his second son was born after he fell and was named after him – Shlomo), parents, seven brothers and a sister. After his fall, he was promoted to sergeant. In a letter of condolence to the bereaved family, the commander of his regiment wrote: “Shlomo excelled in his devotion and his help to his friends and served as an exemplary example.” In the pamphlet “IMI” – the military industry bulletin – dated February 1974, devoted to the Yom Kippur War, a list was published on it. His family donated a Torah scroll to the Sephardic synagogue in Gan Yavne; The “ORT” school in Rehovot, where Shlomo studied, commemorated his name.