A Special Evening with Brigadier-General (Tat Aluf) Avigdor Kahalani

Avigdor Kahalani Comes for a Quick Stop to Vancouver

On Monday, May 29^th Yossilinks orchestrated with only 4 days’ notice a most memorable event with Avigdor Kahalani one of Israel’s most acclaimed war heroes.  Yossi met Avigdor 4 years ago at the JNF Negev Dinner and was asked to take Avigdor around and show him our beautiful city of Vancouver. Yossi and Avigdor struck an endearing friendship. Upon his return to Israel he promised Yossi he would call up his mother.  When Yossi’s mother received this call she could hardly catch her breath.

On Thursday evening May 25^th, 2017 it was Yossi’s turn to receive a call from Avigdor.  He was in Calgary with his wife Dalia on a 6 week trip to celebrate their 51^st wedding anniversary.  He was making a stop in Vancouver and wanted to know if Yossi could arrange accommodations for him. Yossi then had an idea to ask Avigdor if he could give a talk for Hebrew speakers during his short stay. Avigdor happily agreed and Yossi got on it right away!  

Over 45 people showed up to dine together to a catered meal provided by Café Forty One and to listen to an acclaimed Israeli War Hero.  Avigdor talked candidly about his life and humbly recounted his illustrious military career. Avigdor brought laughter to the room while commanded attentive listening to the crowd.  Everyone in the room felt his humility and Israeli pride.

Avigdor Kahalani is a former career officer in the Israel Defense Forces and a former politician in Israel’s Knesset. He is most famous for his heroics in the Yom Kippur War. Kahalani (born June 16, 1944) was born in pre-State Israel in the small but budding community of Ness Ziona. In 1962, at the age of 18, Kahalani was drafted into the Israel Defense Forces, where he would distinguishly serve as a career soldier for thirty years, achieving the rank of Brigadier-General, and eventually become of Israel’s most decorated combat officers. During the Six Day War in 1967, Kahalani received the Medal of Distinguished Service for his heroism after being badly wounded while fighting the enemy in his Centurion tank. It was in the 1973 Yom Kippur War; however, that Kahalani’s name would be etched forever into Israeli history.