iKonnect's Top 5 Most Famous Israeli Soldiers
Ever wonder who are the top five most famous Israeli soldiers are? Look no further and read on!
01 Moshe Dayan
Famously known for his eye patch, Moshe Dayan was born on Kibbutz Degania, Israel’s first established kibbutz. He joined the Haganah with the belief that the Jewish people would have to fight for independence. During the War of Independence in 1948, Dayan commanded the Jerusalem area. In 1953 he was made Chief-of-Staff of the IDF, and in 1959 he was elected into the Knesset. Dayan served as the Minister of Defense during the Six-Day War and the Yom Kippur War. He later became Foreign Minister and was instrumental in negotiating the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. He passed away at the age of 66 in 1981.
02 Yonatan (Yoni) Netanyahu
Before his death in 1976, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used to be known as Yoni’s younger brother. Yonatan (Yoni) Netanyahu was the commanding officer in the elite commando unit, Sayeret Matkal, during Operation Entebbe, a hostage rescue in Uganda in 1976. The mission was successful, with 102 of 106 hostages returned to their homes, but Yoni Netanyahu was killed in action—the only IDF fatality of the entire operation.
03 Roi Klein
Roi Klein was born on July 10, 1975, to Aharon and Shoshana Klein. In 1994, Roi drafted to the IDF as a paratrooper and was later moved to Golani Brigade's elite unit, Egoz. He served in the army for eight years before leaving to attend university to study engineering. In 2006, Roi was made the deputy commander of the 51st Battalion of the Golani Brigade. During the 2006 Lebanon War when Roi and his unit were ambushed by Hezbollah forces, a hand grenade was thrown at Roi and his unit. In order to save everyone around him, Roi jumped on the grenade and muffled the explosion with his own body. Reports say that he recited Shema Yisrael while jumping on the grenade. Roi was survived by his wife, Sara, and two children, Gilad and Yoav. Due to his heroic actions, Roi became a symbol of courage and heroism in Israel.
04 Michael Levin
Michael Levin was born on February 17, 1984, in the United States. He made Aliyah in 2002 and drafted to the IDF Paratroopers unit. In 2006, Michael was given leave from the army to go visit his family in the United States, but when the 2006 Lebanon War began, Michael cut his trip short in order to rejoin his unit who had entered Lebanon. Michael died at age 22 while fighting for Israel. In his memory, a center for lone soldiers was opened, in order to assist IDF soldiers who were serving without their families in Israel.
05 Hadar Cohen
Hadar Cohen was 19 years old when she was killed during a terrorist attack in Jerusalem. She had begun serving with the border police two months prior to her attack. In February 2016, Hadar was on duty with a second policewoman when they noticed three suspicious individuals nearby. When asked for their identity cards, one of the individuals opened fire on Hadar and the second policewoman. During the attack, Hadar managed to shoot one of the terrorists, thereby saving the second policewoman's life. Critically injured, Hadar passed away shortly after the attack. Hadar has been called a true hero by Israel and will be remembered for her bravery.
