Former Israeli cop volunteers, works in Vallejo
Born in Soviet
"Anything to do with religion,
Both Koiman's parents were fired from their jobs, accused of trying to export state secrets, and Koiman was expelled from school for "betraying Mother Russia," he said.
Permission was granted two years later, and the family moved to
Koiman wound up in a kibbutz -- Mishmar HaNegev (Guard of the Negev) a collective agrarian community -- where he finished his education. When not in school, Koiman worked growing oranges and on the kibbutz's dairy farm.
"It was perfect for me," he said. "I always liked farming."
Being on the border with
"All the
He was transferred to mostly Christian southern
"I was serving under (former general and former prime minister)
"We withdrew from southern
An incident in which Koiman assumed command and returned fire after his commanding officer was wounded, earned him a promotion, and likely saved his life, he said.
"I was rotated out early, to get to officers' class on time, and the rest of my unit was ambushed on their way out by a Red Crescent ambulance loaded with explosives," he said. "Half my platoon was killed or injured."
After his mandatory three-year service, Koiman said he found life on the kibbutz too quiet, and fate stepped in to solve his problem.
"One of my former generals was named chief of police of
Koiman said he became a detective working mostly drug cases, and found that "if you control the drugs, you suppress the crime." He was also assigned to guard dignitaries like former Israeli General
"I knew he was going to be assassinated one day because he was totally non-compliant with security," Koiman said.
Koiman said he once helped prevent a terrorist attack when he spotted an old junker car with brand new license plates and found that suspicious.
"We pulled them over and noticed red and black wires running from the driver to the trunk," he said. "We immediately evacuated the area, and found the car was loaded with explosives, nails, gas ... it was a suicide mission, heading to
But it was an incident in which a suspected drug gang member was captured after he took off with Koiman hanging onto his car, injuring him, that got he and his partner the "Starsky and Hutch" comparison, he said.
And it was his moonlighting with a mobile methadone clinic that presaged his work in the medical field and medical insurance, he said.
"I was 26 in 1985 and suddenly got sick with pneumonia, that only got worse," he said. "I was fainting like a girl all the time, and no one could figure out why."
Several years after leaving
"Apparently, the area around my heart was accumulating large quantities of fluids restricting the muscle," he said. "The medical mystery was solved by one of the hospital's rising stars, Israeli doctor,
A special treatment regimen solved the problem, he said.
"I wonder how many other people like me didn't have the privilege of being rescued and cured," he said. "That was my second miracle. I guess God has more plans for me on this planet and it was not my time to go."
While living in
In
These days, Koiman works in the financial and insurance business, at igal@[email protected], and volunteers his time in various ways throughout
Contact
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