Haran (Horenstein), Chaim

Chaim (Chuck), son of Linor and Milton Hacohen, was born on July 30, 1950 in Brooklyn, New York. When he was three years old, his parents separated and he and his brother Bennett were raised by their mother. The boys were close in age and are very attached to one another. Chaim (Chuck) was intellectually gifted and always studied in special classes for gifted children. From the age of five he went to summer camp every summer, where he learned to climb mountains, ride horses, sail in a boat and love nature. In the camp he was also nicknamed Chuck. Haim was a cheerful and charming child and caused a lot of joy and rest for his mother. He has always been very interested in various fields – music, photography and sports. He was very fond of reading and had many talents. He was arrested in New York for participating in a protest demonstration against the hanging of eight Jews in Iraq. Although he was a diligent and outstanding student, he decided not to continue his studies, but to tie his future with the State of Israel and serve in the IDF was his aspiration.Chuck arrived in Israel for the first time when he was sixteen years old in order to settle in it, Was to live in Israel without a family and therefore returned to the United States after spending only a few months in the country, and returned to Israel after a six-day war and lived there for a year and lived a vibrant and varied life in Kibbutz Tzur Natan and Moshav Amatzia. He was surrounded by friends and friends who loved him and wanted to be close to him D while in the Sinai. At the request of his mother, Chaim refused to serve in the IDF for a while, since his brother served in the American army in Vietnam at the time. After basic training, he decided to volunteer for the brigade’s reconnaissance unit. He never mentioned in his letters about the special unit he served in and the difficult training he underwent, and did not mention how difficult it was for him as a young soldier to be alone in Israel without a family. He was well trained in all the training difficulties and was accepted to the reconnaissance unit, and eventually completed a course for infantry commanders and a training course in Sayeret, and his comrades expressed his great physical ability and willingness to help them carry stretchers or climb mountains. The fact that he was older than his comrades in the unit gave him a semblance of paternity and seriousness. With his comrades in Sayeret, he lived on the border guard and took part in many activities. For a while he studied at the Military School for Education and expanded his knowledge of Hebrew and knowledge of the country. In July 1973 he took a month off in New York and celebrated his 23rd birthday with his family and friends at a big party. Only on the first day of the Yom Kippur War did his brother tell his mother the whole truth about Chuck’s military service. Until that day, it was a “secret” between the two brothers. During the Yom Kippur War, Haim participated in the battles for the conquest of Mount Hermon, which fell into the hands of the Syrians. When he retreated in the half-track after the fighting, Haim said to his friend: “After such a battle, I will never leave the country.” On October 12, 1973, Haim was hit by an enemy MiG, and he was brought to rest at home. The military cemetery on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, the city he loved and lived in. He left behind his parents and brother, and after his fall was promoted to the rank of First Sergeant.