Sergeant Danit Cohen

Daughter of Hada and Yishai
Sister of Tamar Or (23 years old), Shirel (22 years old), Elia (18.5 years old), Lior (17.5 years old), Talia (13 years old), Shenhav (12 years old) and Meshi (10 years old)

Danit was born into a warm and loving family in Sderot. Her mother Hada is a full-time housewife, and her father Yishai is a guard in the prison service. She studied at the Da'at Elementary School in Kibbutz Sa'ad until the 8th grade. She continued her studies in Jerusalem at the Mae Boyar High School in Jerusalem in which her older sisters Tamar Or and Shirel graudated. She is a graduate of the "Galil" 55th class. She majored in Torah studies and Jewish thought and was a good and diligent student.

The hard-working and independent Danit worked at the "Dudu's Sweets" store in Sderot in her free time. She excelled at her job as she excelled in everything she did. She used to say that when you do something, you should do it "the best you can, to the max".

Danit's friends knew that she was an address for them in times of need and she always gave them good advice in modesty.

One of Danit's outstanding qualities was her sense of humor. She participated in plays at school and improvised "stand-up" shows for her friends at the boarding school. The "stage bug" stayed with her also on Fridays at home in Sderot where she would organize dance competitions for her younger sisters, teaching them choreography for dances that she had invented and the girls would perform in front of the family members. Danit planned to continue developing her stage talent and study acting after her release from the army.

Danit had a special status in the family. She was patient and caring towards her eight brothers and sisters. They felt that they could tell her everything and always consulted her because they admired her logical thinking and her tendency to plan everything a few steps ahead. Talia, Danit's sister, wrote in her memory that Danit would teach her things that no one else would teach her. She also said that everyone knew that if someone was sad, you should go talk to Danit and she would improve their mood.

Danit had a close, warm and special relationship with her mother Hada, that was not only a mother to her but also a friend and confidante. Danit was for Hada a charismatic figure whose wise words deserve to be listened to. In the conversations she had with Hada about religion and tradition, Danit immemorially urged her to live in the spirit of the proverb "To each his own" and to educate the family's children to tolerance and liberalism. Hada intends to uphold Danit's legacy and manage family life in the light of the values she espoused. Danit's heritage and virtues are now Hada's guiding light.

Danit joined the IDF on August 25, 2022 and served in the General Corps as an operations sergeant in the Home Front Command after being trained for this position in a course that lasted four months. She served at the Urim base near the city of Ofakim. It was important for her to serve near home so that she could be close to her mother. She decided about this after seeing how her mother was worried for her two older sisters when they were soldiers in the army.

According to Danit's terms of service, she spent one week at the base and one week at home. Her mother used to pamper her and drive her to the base and send food for Shabbat for her and her friends at the base.

Danit would come home from the army on Tuesdays. These days were considered days of culinary festival as her mother prepared her favorite foods for her and the family members. The main dish was couscous. Also served was a "Turshi"" salad (consisting of turnips, kohlrabi, fennel, carrots, bell peppers, hot pepper, lemon and orange juice) and Tunisian "Kifta" meatballs. Danit would sometimes ask to eat veal shawarma and then she and her mother would buy the "Lafa" wraps filled with all kind of goodies for all the family members on their way home from the train station. This kind of day when Danit returned from the army was called "Danit's day" in the family.

It was important for Danit to fulfill her role in the army well. She used to say that in the army you have to do ""one hundred percent performance"". Her commanders appreciated her and offer her to join an officers' course, but Danit refused because she really liked her position and the service at the Urim base.

One day, Danit proudly told her mother that the army's audit committee had come to the base and the operations room where she was stationed to conduct an audit. Her friends were scaref of the whole situation and Danit decided on her own initiative and without fear to explain to the auditors the operations room's missions and role and demonstrated some of the tasks to them. Danit was happy that the audit went smoothly and the operations room was even praised for its performance.

On the "Black Sabbath" on October 7, 2023, terrorists infiltrated the Urim base. Some of the soldiers at the base found shelter in a mobile shelter and some of them, including Danit, arrived at the operations room which is considered the protected space at the base. Danit functioned in the operations room calmly and supported her comrades. At the same time, she kept delivering regular reports on the situation at the base, in an attempt to repel the terrorists, Danit announced to them on the microphone: "Our army is here, they will eliminate you, you should run."

Sergeant Sahar, who survived the terrorist attack, told in an interview with Maariv newspaper about Danit and the late Shir Shlomo's performance in the operations room: "The terrorists were one door away from us and the girls still didn't leave the phone, trying to help, return fire, defend themselves. So if you ask me about it, I will say that there is a story here that teaches us about self-sacrifice, about commitment to duty, and I am talking about their actions. That's it, all that's left for me is to immortalize them."

Danit was killed from a grenade thrown at her, along with other soldiers who were with her.

In memory of Danit, a commemorative page was set up on Instagram, available in the link.

Danit's teachers from the Boyar school wrote on the page: "Danit came from Sderot to Boyar as a true feminist, to open new directions for her future and to be exposed to youth from all over the country. Danit was a brave, sensitive, honest girl with high self-awareness. Behind her quiet figure stood a girl with a rich inner world, high abilities and aspiration for excellence. Having set a goal for herself, she did not give up on herself and it was impossible to change her mind and divert her from her course... She was always surrounded by friends who enjoyed and always looked for her company. The desire to assist and help those around her characterized her."

Danit's favorite hobby was cooking and baking, and through them she expressed her love to those around her. She especially loved to cook and bake together with her mother Hada and always happily prepared the afternoon meals for the young children if her mother asked for her help. On such days, Danit would prepare the family menu according to the reservations she received in advance from the family's children.

Danit loved the song "Barefoot" by Israeli singer Yasmin Moalem. Leshem Sharvit sang the song in Danit's memory. Watch the performance at the following link.

Boyar School commemorates its fallen alumni: Yanai Kaminka, Danit Cohen, Roi Nahari, Amit David, Tal Shua and Hadar Kapluk.
Among the commemorative events: the school organized a sports day about a month after Danit's fall, installed commemorative corners and a memorial room on the school grounds, and students, teachers and graduates of the school participated in the Jerusalem Marathon on March 8, 2024. The runners wore shirts designed with the names of the fallen and the school's colors. View photos of the shirts and runners on the Boyar Alumni Community Facebook page.

Raz Malul, Danit's best friend, organized an evening in her memory where psalms and "Sidur" prayer books were handed out. The books bore an inscription of her name and of the proverb she adopted as a way of life: "To each his own".

Danit's affectionate nickname used by her friends and family was "Dubi" (Teddy bear). The gifts she received every birthday were usually jewelry in the form of bears and furry teddy bears that decorated her room. Since Danit's fall, her family members and friends started wearing necklaces with bear pendants around their necks in memory of her.

On Fridays, when Danit was at home, she would show up in the kitchen and prepare Shabbat cakes for the family members. She used to upgrade recipes and even invent her own recipes. If a cake was ruined, she always knew how to fix it and make it delicious. At the Boyar School, they recognized Danit's special baking talent. After her fall, her family received from the school faculty a selection of Challahs and cakes that they prepared in her memory according to her recipes.

Danit had two cakes that were particularly identified with her: her famous chocolate cake and a lemon pie cake that was especially loved by her younger brothers. Below is the recipe for her chocolate cake as written in her own words:

A recipe for Dubi's chocolate cake
2 1/2 cups white flour
1 cup white sugar
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup powder for making chocolate
1 sachet baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 eggs L
1 cup canola oil
2 bags vanilla sugar
2 cups boiling water
Preparation:
Heat the oven to 170 degrees.
In a bowl, mix flour, sugar, cocoa, chocolate, baking powder, baking soda powder.
In a jug, beat eggs with oil and vanilla sugar. Pour into a bowl with the flour and whisk to a smooth mixture while gradually adding boiling water. Pour into 3 greased molds and bake for about 45 minutes until the cakes are spongy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into them comes out with moist crumbs.
Coating and decoration:
Mix a few tablespoons of chocolate spread with boiling water (for a dairy version you can use sweet cream heated in the microwave), until a texture of a thick sauce is formed. Pour over the cakes and let it partially absorb. Add sprinkles if desired.