I witnessed firsthand the boundless kindness of Rachel Cohen, a woman whose deeds of compassion made her a legend in her own lifetime - which ended on Monday at the hands of a terrorist.
On that horrific night – Passover Eve 2002 – after a terrorist massacred my dear friends, the Gavish family, in Elon Moreh, Rachel Cohen opened her home to the survivors. The terrorists entered the Gavish home, firing indiscriminately, killing Rachel and David Gavish; their eldest son Avraham, a revered commander in the Sayeret Matkal; and their grandfather Yitzhak Kanner.
Rachel Cohen was Rachel Gavish's closest friend. When the surviving Gavish children escaped the carnage – some climbing barefoot down a ladder from the second-floor windows while the terrorist continued his rampage – they found refuge in Rachel Cohen's home. I remember them gathered that night in her bedroom, stunned and grappling with the unthinkable task of deciding where to bury their parents, brother and grandfather, who had celebrated the Seder with them just a day earlier in that very home.
During the shiva, as the family sat in their bullet-riddled living room, the Gavish children made a heartbreaking decision to leave Elon Moreh and relocate to Kedumim. How could they remain in a house that had become the site of such devastation?
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Rachel Cohen made her own decision at that moment: She left her meticulously kept home in Elon Moreh and moved to Kedumim to stay close to the Gavish children. While the Gavish family rented a home of their own, Rachel moved into a nearby house, always watching over them. Over the years, I saw her at their celebrations and memorials, steadfast in her role as a surrogate guardian. She stood by their side at weddings, as the children walked to the chuppah, and at every memorial, overlooking the graves of their loved ones.
For 22 years, Rachel never wavered in her devotion. She remained an enduring presence, ensuring the Gavish children knew they were never alone.
When I heard the news of a woman named Rachel Cohen murdered in a recent terror attack in Kedumim, I couldn’t believe it might be her. "Rachel Cohen" is a common name, I told myself. There’s no way someone so dedicated to protecting her friend’s six orphaned children could meet such a fate.
But when I messaged Yeshurun Gavish, my dear friend, and asked, “Rachel Cohen? That Rachel Cohen?” his reply shattered me: “Yes, Rachel. The finest woman we had in this land.”
My brother, you’ve been orphaned yet again.
We can no longer bear the evil that strikes at the heart of our infinite goodness, over and over. We simply cannot.