'The shape of the fruit reminds us of the shape of a heart'

New strawberry strain named after slain policewoman

Volcani Center dedicates fruit breed to Hadar Cohen, killed by a Palestinian attacker in Jerusalem last year

By ToI Staff 30 April 2017, 4:45 pm
Fallen border policewoman Hadar Cohen (L) pictured with her mother Segal during the first month of her army training. (Courtesy: Volcani Center)

An Israeli agricultural research center announced Sunday that a new strain of strawberry it has developed will be named after Hadar Cohen, a border policewoman killed in a February 2016 shooting attack at Jerusalem’s Damascus Gate.

Developed by the Volcani Center agricultural research organization’s Nir Dai, the new strain will be named “Hadar.”

“Hadar’s favorite fruit was strawberries, and before she fell she was photographed with strawberries,” said Hadar’s mother, Sigal. “The shape of the fruit reminds us of the shape of a heart, and it reminds us of the tremendous heart of Hadar.”

The idea of ​​naming a strain after Cohen was raised by Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel when he paid a condolence visit to the Cohen family’s home during the week after her killing. The project was then developed with the cooperation of Dai and the Volcani Center, the research branch of the Agriculture Ministry, based in Rishon Lezion.

Agricultural Minister Uri Ariel (L) with family members of Hadar Cohen at a ceremony naming a strain of strawberries after Hadar in April 2017. (Courtesy Volcani Center)

Cohen, 19, was fatally wounded in an attack outside the Old City of Jerusalem after being shot in the head and stabbed in the neck by Palestinian assailants.

She had been drafted into the Border Police only two months earlier, and was still in training at the time of the attack.

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