Today in 1917, Yigal Yadin was born, an impressive member of the founding generation.
Yadin was born Yigal Sukenik, the son of Dr. Eliezer (a well-known archaeologist), and Hassia (an important educator), and became one of the first children of Rehavia. Yadin joined the ‘Haganah’ at the age of 15, and grew in its ranks, gaining favor in Ben-Gurion’s eyes. In 1946, he retired to study, but with the outbreak of the War of Independence a year later, he was returned by Ben-Gurion as head of the Defense Operations Division. The Chief of Staff, Yaakov Dori, suffered from a serious illness during most of the war – and in practice, Yadin was the main Israeli warlord, and to his credit many of its successes must be cited. After Dori’s retirement in 1949, Yadin became Chief of Staff (the youngest in history), and helped build the IDF’s regular army model. In 1952, he retired from his position and turned to his true passion – archeology. Yadin dug mounds and ruins all over the country, and discovered a wealth of new historical discoveries, which led to his winning of the Israel Prize. Despite his great popularity, and Ben-Gurion’s clear desire to see him as the heir to the government, Yadin rejected his entry into national politics until 1977, when he founded the center party Dash, the Likud’s partner for the “makeover.” Yadin became deputy prime minister, but his party collapsed and he retired from politics in the next election, and he died in 1984.
Photo Source: Wikipedia
