Eli Dahan

Mar 5, 2002 - Eli Dahan, 53, of Lod was one of three people killed in Tel-Aviv when a Palestinian terrorist opened fire on two adjacent restaurants shortly after 2:00 AM.

Shortly after 2 A.M., a Palestinian terrorist took up a position on a pedestrian bridge in the center of Tel-Aviv and opened fire with a long-barreled M-16 assault rifle at two restaurants below. Eli Dahan had gone to Tel-Aviv at 1 A.M. after closing his cafe in Lod, and was stabbed to death in the attack.

Eli Dahan was born in Morocco and immigrated to Israel with his family at a young age. Known as a kind and compassionate person, he ran a local popular cafe in Lod, frequented by both Jews and Arabs. "He was the last person you would think that would die in a terror attack. He was the symbol for coexistence. He had many friends, Jews and Arabs. In his eyes everyone was equal," said Dahan's partner in the cafe, Rushdi Abu-Kishik.

"He was a happy person that loved to go out, and enjoy life." said Ya'akov Hazan, a close friend. When he went out with friends he would spend money on them just to see them happy and having a good time. It made him feel good."

Eli Dahan was buried in Lod. He is survived by his mother Sarah, his wife, Ilana, two daughters, Fani (26) and Meital (21), two sons, Udi (24) and Nissim (17), and three grandchildren.