21-yr-old Lieutenant Toby
Cohen was born in Nigeria to a Nigerian mother and Israeli father. Her parents
and 8-year-old sister live in the northern part of Nigeria, while she
immigrated to Israel on her own at the age of 17. Cohen serves in the Homefront
Command.
“Even when I was 3 years old I knew I wanted to come to Israel. My
father was born here and served in the Armor Corps, and our home in Nigeria was
full of stories about Israel and the army,” she said. “On Rosh Hashana and Passover, we would always travel to celebrate with
Dad's family in Israel, and as I was getting older I wanted more and more to
get to know Israeli culture and strengthen my connection to Israel.”
When she turned 17, Cohen
immigrated to Israel alone within the framework of the Jewish Agency's
"Young Judaism" program, and joined the Metzar pre-army educational
program at Kibbutz Metzar in the Golan Heights.
