11-year-old Ilya Cohen (fourth from left) with police officers from Dimona, Israel. Photo: Israel Police.

JNS.org – Ilya Cohen, an 11-year-old Israeli boy with special needs, realized his dream by becoming a police officer for a day.

The teaching staff at the Tzabar School for Children with Special Needs devotes a day to helping students’ realize their dreams. Cohen’s teachers recently arranged for him to don a uniform and join the police force in the southern Israeli city of Dimona.

Cohen sat in on a morning briefing with station commander Chief Supt. llan Shoshan, joined police officers and municipal security officers for a routine patrol, and rode with a police sapper.

“Making Ilya’s dream of becoming a police officer for a day come true was important to us, and reflects our strong ties to the community,” Shoshan said.

Cohen said he was “the happiest guy in the world, after they made my dream come true.”