21-year-old Toby Cohen, born of a Nigeria mother and an Israeli father has made history for herself as the first female Nigerian-Isreali military personnel in the Isreali army.
Information gathered at this time states that Cohen was living with her parents and sister in Kano before she left for Israel.
Cohen once said: “I always wanted to come to Israel, ever since I was a small child, I wanted a deeper connection, to understand what ‘Israel’ is, and not just through stories.”
Despite the fact that her dream was fulfilled, it was still a bit challenging for her to adjust to life in another country.
“New immigrants are often embarrassed and ashamed to speak because they may say something wrong and I was one of them but at some point, I realised that I couldn’t go on like this.
I made a lot of mistakes along the way, and it was hard, but it was worth it.”
However, coping with the Isreali society easy after a friend of hers helped in adjusting to the society, having learnt the Hebrew language as well.
Cohen also told of her father’s gladness that she had finally chosen to serve in the Israeli army, even though he was an Isreali army officer too.
AMAZING: Meet Lt Toby Cohen, the first Nigerian woman to serve In Israel’s Army -dailyfamily.ng
She said: “He was just as emotional as I was. For him, it was a dream come true, and his being there really helped me.”
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“My mother and my entire family attended the officers’ graduation ceremony.
It is very touching to be the first woman officer from Nigeria in the IDF. Obviously, I have fallen in love with Israel. This is my home and I see myself continuing my life here.”
Cohen served as an operations sergeant in the Homefront Command and was later accepted into the officers’ training course.
Her duty as a Deputy Training Officer in Haifa region is to guide people on how to act during natural disasters such as earthquakes, fires and floods, as well as emergencies such as rocket attacks or the threat of a biological/chemical weapon.
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