Yosef Avidar | |
---|---|
![]() Avidar in 1960 | |
Born | Yosef Rochel 7 May 1906 |
Died | 13 September 1995 | (aged 89)
Spouse | Yemima Avidar-Tchernovitz |
Yosef Aluf Avidar (7 May 1906 – 13 September 1995) was an Israeli statesman, Haganah commander, author and ambassador to Argentina and the Soviet Union.[1]
Early life
[edit]Avidar was born on 7 May 1906 as Yosef Rochel[2] in Kremenets in the Russian Empire and in what is now modern-day Ukraine. His father was Joshua Rochel; his mother, Shprinza.[3] Avidar was a peddler during his time in Ukraine.[4]
In 1929 Avidar immigrated to Mandatory Palestine.[4]
Career
[edit]Avidar became a senior commander in a Jewish paramilitary organization called the Haganah.[5] Placed in control of the supply programs,[4] he was responsible for the idea and of constructing an underground ammunition factory called the Ayalon Institute, which was a major supplier of arms to the Haganah.[2][6]
In 1948, after the creation of the Israel Defense Forces, he changed his name from Rochel to Avidar based on an acronym of his two daughters' names.[7] Avidar was the Israeli quartermaster during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War and later served as the Israel Defense Forces' deputy chief of staff.[8] After the war, he served as ambassador to the Soviet Union from 1955 to 1958 and as ambassador to Argentina from 1961 to 1965.[9]
Death
[edit]Avidar died on 13 September 1995 at the age of 89 from a lung infection.[4]
Personal life
[edit]Avidar lost his right hand when he was learning how to use grenades, and was given the nickname "the amputee".[2] He was sent to Vienna for treatment, where he met the future Israeli children's book author and later wife Yemima Avidar-Tchernovitz,[2] who at the time was studying at the University of Vienna.[7]
He received a Doctor of Philosophy in Russian studies from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.[9]
Works
[edit]- BaDerekh l'Tsahal, 1971[9]
- Avidar, Yosef (1985). The party and the army in the Soviet Union. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press. ISBN 978-0-271-00393-1. OCLC 11573730.
References
[edit]- ^ Avidar, Yosef (1906-1995) (in French). Bibliothèque nationale de France.
{{cite book}}
:|work=
ignored (help) - ^ a b c d Man, Nadav (30 January 2009). "From Jerusalem to Aqaba: Ben-Gurion's travels". Ynetnews. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ David Tidhar, ed. (1952). Yosef Avidar. Vol. 5. p. 2259.
{{cite book}}
:|work=
ignored (help) - ^ a b c d "Maj. Gen. Yosef Avidar, a street peddler who rose to become deputy army chief". Retrieved 19 April 2022 – via AP NEWS.
- ^ "The Silver Platter: Establishing the State of Israel". aish.com. 27 April 2020. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ "How a Fake Kibbutz Was Built to Hide a Bullet Factory". Haaretz. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ a b "Yemima Tchernovitz-Avidar". Jewish Women's Archive. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ Gur, Haviv Rettig. "Peres's son has lessons for a new New Middle East". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ a b c Avidar, Yosef (1985). The Party and the Army in the Soviet Union. Pennsylvania State University Press. ISBN 0271003936.
External links
[edit]Media related to Yoseph Avidar at Wikimedia Commons