'The world's best soldier'

Emanuel Morano a legend whose photo cannot be published even posthumously


Matan Zuri
Israel News/Ynet
12 September '10

After several months in his presence, Maya Morano 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 Emanuel Morano'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 Emanuel Morano is believed to be the only soldier in IDF history whose photo cannot be published even posthumously.

The elite Sayeret Matkal reconnaissance unit engages in the most sensitive, complex IDF activities; Morano's squad was tasked with the most sensitive, complex activities within the unit, and within this squad, "Morano was the best," his comrades say. "Emanuel led highly complex operational activity, among the most important carried out by the IDF," the unit commander says. "Their contribution to national security is significant. The challenges he faced during his service required rare professional abilities, focus and sharpness, and exceptional personal responsibility."

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