In a moving ceremony held at the Edri family home in Ofakim, Aviatar Edri was unexpectedly promoted to the rank of sub-inspector, or Rav-Seren, in front of his family and senior Southern District police commanders. Aviatar is the son of Rachel Edri, known to the public as “Rachel from Ofakim,” whose home became one of the symbols of heroism during the October 7 attacks.
The promotion was presented by Southern District Commander, Deputy Commissioner Haim Bublil, and his deputy, Brig. Gen. Efi Shiman, who took command of the Negev area on the morning of October 7, while fighting was underway in Ofakim. He directed the forces that helped stop the terrorists and save residents’ lives.
The ceremony took place in the same house where Rachel and her late husband, David Edri, were held hostage by terrorists for many hours before being rescued by YAMAM special forces. For the Edri family, the Southern District police, and the residents of Ofakim, the event marked a personal, family, and police circle being closed, from one of that Saturday’s hardest moments to a scene of honor and continuity.
Aviatar Edri was serving on October 7 as an officer at the Sderot police station. He went out to fight that morning and only then learned that terrorists had entered his parents’ house and were holding them hostage. He now serves as an expertise officer in the Southern District and as a shooting and combat instructor, training officers and strengthening operational readiness. Bublil said the promotion at the Edri home reflected “the strength of the spirit” of police families, Ofakim residents, and the Southern District. Shiman said the police and fighters around the house had operated under fire in impossible conditions, and that the day’s ceremony honored their courage and commitment to protecting southern residents.
