Sorin Hershko

Sorin Hershko was born in 1956 in Romania

Sorin Hershko was born on July 24, 1956, in Romania, and was named after his grandmother Sarah. At 12 he immigrated to Israel with his parents and brother and settled in the Ramat Eliyahu neighborhood of Tel Aviv. His father died about half a year later, and the family faced economic and social hardship.

He served in Battalion 890 of the Paratroopers Brigade. Near the end of his regular service, while on release leave, he was called to volunteer for the Entebbe operation in 1976. On July 4, 1976, a bullet struck him during the takeover of the new terminal, and he was paralyzed in all four limbs.

Since then he has used a wheelchair. His rehabilitation included complex treatment and a long relationship with his medical team, among them spine doctor Prof. Yoel Seifan. He has spoken in interviews about personal responsibility and about building a family with a nurse who cared for him.

He later joined the team that founded Latam, an association that makes nature and hiking accessible to people with various disabilities. He serves as its chairman and also works as a freelance programmer and gives lectures.

In 2026, marking 50 years since the operation, the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation gave him a certificate of recognition, presented by Chemi Peres. That year, former child hostages from the hijacked flight publicly thanked him.