In this class on Tanya, 19 minutes in, Rabbi Zev Reichman says: Emmanuel Moreno was the greatest Jewish warrior since the days of Bar Kochba. He was a genius for languages. He was put into a special unit within the General Staff Reconnaissance unit (Sayeret Matkal). He spoke more than 20 different dialects of Arabic. He studied the Koran. He was so deeply immersed in the Muslim world and Muslim thinking, that he went deep deep deep into Arab countries as a radical Muslim. He was a preacher in a radical Islamic mosque… He penetrated Islamic terror networks such as Al Qaeda so deeply that it is illegal [in Israel] to publish his picture.”
“He was in every Arab country you can imagine doing amazing things for Israel — killing terrorists, kidnapping terrorists, getting information…”
“He was very frum (religious). He was learning every day — daf yomi, Tanya, Chofetz Chaim. He was in Damascus and by day he was the preacher in the mosque and at night he was slipping in with radical terrorists and kill a guy and before he went to sleep, he’d learn Shmiros HaLashon (Jewish Laws of Proper Speech).”
Has there ever been a non-Jew who successfully impersonated a rabbi for a length of time? Has there ever been a Muslim spy who did this and led services and rendered decisions on Jewish law, etc?
Moreno was born in France, to Sylvia and Shlomo Ilan Moreno. Moreno’s family made aliyah to Israel when he was one year old. Raised in Jerusalem, Emmanuel studied at the Shalom Hartman Institute, Paul Himmelfarb High School, and Bnei David pre-army mechina in Eli.
Moreno served in Sayeret Matkal for 16 years, progressing through the ranks to Lieutenant Colonel, a rank that was personally granted to him by the former head of the IDF Intelligence Division (Hebrew: ראש אגף המודיעין), Major General Aharon Ze’evi-Farkash. As this rank is equal to that of the Sayeret Matkal Commander, a role that Moreno did not fulfill, this was considered to be an exceptional event. The former Commander of Sayeret Matkal, Herzi Halevi (Hebrew: הרצי הלוי), described Emmanuel’s unique character as an IDF combatant: “If the IDF is the best military in the world, and Sayeret Matkal is the best unit in the IDF, and Emmanuel is the best soldier in the unit, then Emmanuel is the best soldier in the world.” Herzi Halevi said this when Emmanuel was still alive. Avi Dichter, Israeli MK and former Minister of Internal Security, who also served in Sayeret Matkal, described Emmanuel as having served in the spearhead of his unit, “an elite force within an elite force” [1] (Hebrew: הסיירת של הסיירת). Through the years, Emmanuel was trained for special operations, requiring an extremely high level of skill and risk tolerance, far beyond that of the “average” soldier serving in Sayeret Matkal. Among other missions, Moreno participated in the apprehension of Lebanese guerrilla leader, Mustafa Dirani, from his home in Lebanon in 1994, and commanded the rescue mission of taxi driver, Eliahu Gorel, who was kidnapped by Palestinians in 2003 and held in a basement near Ramallah. Many of the commando operations Moreno participated in are still classified. The IDF has not, to this day, released his photo to the public for reasons of national security.
Though the IDF did not release information on the raid in which Moreno was killed, details were filtered to the Israeli media. According to the media, Moreno and his commando team was airdropped into the area by helicopter with two Humvees. Their mission was to attack a Hezbollah base in the village of Bodei, near Baalbek, which was used by Hezbollah for weapons smuggling. The commando team was discovered around the heavily guarded base, and a pitched battle ensued. Moreno was killed, and two officers were wounded. At least three Hezbollah fighters were also killed and two were reportedly taken prisoner. Close air support from fighter jets and attack helicopters prevented Hezbollah reinforcements from reaching the battle or encircling the commandos. The commandos were extracted, together with Moreno’s body and the Hezbollah prisoners, after a lengthy firefight.[2]
Moreno lived in Tlamim, a moshav in the Hevel Lakhish region of southern Israel. Emmanuel, 35 years of age, was survived by his wife, Maya, and his three children. All four of his brothers served in elite IDF units, including his younger brother “D”, who continued in his path and later served in a high-ranking position within the same unit.
YNET:
After several months in his presence, Maya Moreno already got used to not always knowing where her husband Emanuel heads to every morning. Is he on his way to another secret operation, deep in enemy territory? Will he find himself under a barrage of bullets or face-to-face with a surprised terrorist in a few hours? Will he arrive home very late, almost never in uniform but with “the unit’s” emblem above his left pocket, stepping gingerly as not to wake up the kids? Or will he again spend the night “there,” involved in yet another operation that will likely never be publicized? One could only guess.
Maya knew well that she did not marry a nine-to-five man who proceeds to do the grocery shopping after leaving the office. Even today, most of Emmanuel Moreno’s operations are unknown outside the defense establishment or are under a gag order. However, his name is whispered with great reverence within the “unit” and among his commanders. “The IDF’s no. 1 fighter,” senior officers referred to him. “The soul of Sayeret Matkal,” his comrades say. Meanwhile, religious soldiers refer to him as “the man who followed in the footstep of legendary Jewish hero Bar Kochba.”
The operations Morano was involved in were so secretive and sophisticated that even today, four years after his death, censors ban the publication of his photographs. Hence, Lieutenant Colonel Emmanuel Moreno is believed to be the only soldier in IDF history whose photo cannot be published even posthumously.
