Hundreds of people participated this evening, Wednesday, in the funeral procession of IDF soldier First Sergeant Avinoam David Cohen, who was killed when an artillery cannon flipped over during a training exercise in the Golan Heights. Cohen, 22, from the Sanhedria neighborhood in Jerusalem, served in the 411th Battalion of the Artillery Corps as part of the hesder track and was a student at the Elon Moreh yeshiva. Minister of Education Naftali Bennett and MK Moti Yogev (Jewish Home) attended the funeral. His sister, Tehila, gave birth today a few hours after the serious accident. She arrived at the military cemetery on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem in a wheelchair. Lieutenant Colonel Efi Mizrachi, Commander of the Artillery Battalion 411 eulogized his soldier. "Dear Avinoam, you were so motivated, with great personal charm and a great will to improve," said his commander. His father, Shimon, said: "Today the IDF lost one of its best soldiers, a commander in the Israel Defense Forces. Today, the Jewish People lost a pure soul, between [Rosh Hashanah and] Yom Kippur. For 22 years, we received a gift, and we need to return it - and we have returned it. It hurts, it hurts, it hurts. But we accept it. " "Everyone here, if they can do something small for the smooth passage of his soul, another drop of mitzvah, another drop of tefillin, one Shabbat, two Shabbatot. And whoever is secular - it doesn’t matter, take something upon yourself. I think he would be very happy." His brother, Sagi, said: "The Torah that you have learned touched you deeply, you have risen in a chariot of fire to heaven, without suffering, on the holy days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. You leave us with the forces of your soul. May they always remain.” Avinoam was killed earlier, together with Lieutenant Avshalom Armoni, in an accident at around 2:10 pm during a military exercise in the Golan Heights. Four other soldiers were injured in the incident, one seriously, another moderately and two others lightly. The funeral of Lieutenant Avshalom Armoni, the officer killed in the accident, will take place tomorrow at 1 pm at the military cemetery on Mount Herzl. Avshalom finished his officers' course a few months ago and served in the artillery. Before he enlisted, he studied at the hesder yeshiva in Otniel. Avshalom is the cousin of the late Naama Henkin, who was murdered with her husband in a shooting attack near the community of Itamar.
