Gershon Hacohen

Gershon Hacohen was born in 1955 in Jerusalem

Gershon Hacohen was born in 1955 in Jerusalem and grew up in a religious family. His father, Rabbi Yedaya Hacohen, was among the founders of the Har Etzion yeshiva. Several of his brothers are rabbis who head or teach at yeshivas.

He studied at the Netiv Meir high school yeshiva in Jerusalem and at the Har Etzion hesder yeshiva. He later earned a master's degree in philosophy and comparative literature from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

He enlisted in 1973, fought in the Yom Kippur War and then moved to the Armored Corps. In 1982 he published an anonymous article supporting Colonel Eli Geva, was tried for breaking army orders, received a severe reprimand and was dismissed. He returned to regular service in 1987 and went on to command the 7th Brigade, Division 36 and the military colleges.

In 2005 he commanded the evacuation of Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip under the disengagement plan. He was promoted to major general in 2006 and became commander of the 446th Corps in 2010. He ended his service in 2014.

After retiring he became a researcher at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies and writes opinion pieces on security. In 2021 he joined a government inquiry committee on the Nahal Tzafit disaster. He helped found Nimrod in the Golan Heights, where he lives.