Mr Cohen underwent a year of rehabilitation at Beit Halochem. "I had one goal - to return to my unit, to my squad, my friends and to protect the state of Israel. Thanks to Beit Halochem, I realised that goal.
"I was welcomed by people who really understood what was best for me. They became my friends, my brothers, my family.”
Another guest was Major Shlomi Biche, a former member of the IDF’s Nahal Infantry Brigade, who had made aliyah from Ethiopia at the age of six.
He had completed 11 years' service with the IDF when the second Lebanon War erupted. He was severely wounded in a clash with Hezbollah militants. Recovering in hospital, he learnt that one of his men, close friend Yo’an Zarbib, had been killed.
As part of his rehabilitation, he was brought to Beit Halochem - "a place I could go to without feeling judged by anyone and where I could slowly rebuild my strength among comrades”. He returned to the IDF as a base commander.
