Captain (res.) Uriel Cohen, 33, a soldier from the Givati Brigade from Tzur Hadassah, fell in battle in Gaza on Tuesday night.
Cohen served as an APC commander in the Givati Brigade. He leaves behind a wife, Chanah, and two young daughters, two-year-old Shir and sic-month-old Layla. His funeral was held today in the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem.
Cohen grew up in Petah Tikva, studied at Kiryat Herzog in Bnei Brak and is a graduate of the Kerem B'Yavneh Hesder Yeshiva. He started working at Bank Mizrachi in 2015 and in recent years worked as an economist in the construction and real estate sector. He would have celebrated his 34th birthday in ten days.
Kerem B'Yavneh Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Aharon Friedman eulogized Cohen and said: "Uriel had a very special and gentle soul. He never made himself the center, but in practice, whenever there was a need for help he was the first to be there. He always lent a hand in any matter."
"On the one hand, he had a gentleness and sensitivity, and on the other hand he had the strength and the ability to withstand and overcome any challenge that is placed before him," Rabbi Cohen said.
The rabbi said that Cohen epitomized the yeshiva's students. "On the one hand, they are called to lead the way and always go first and do everything with strength and without fear, and on the other hand, the personality you meet in front of you is gentle and kind. It does not take anything for itself and dedicates its strength and life for the common good."