Haim Yisraeli

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Haim Yisraeli (1927–2011) was a senior Israeli civil servant who spent most of his career in the Israeli Ministry of Defense.

Early life
He was born in 1927 in Motal, Belarus (then part of Poland). Named after his uncle, Rabbi Meir Haim Dolenko, his family faced displacement after the Soviet annexation of eastern Poland. They were exiled to Kazakhstan, narrowly avoiding Nazi persecution. After the war, the family moved to Poland, joined the Berihah network, and eventually reached a transit camp in Germany, where Yisraeli met his future wife, Sarah. From there they moved on to Mandatory Palestine.

Career in Israel
When Yisraeli arrived in what would become Israel, he was not drafted into the military for health reasons and initially worked in the archive of the Prime Minister’s Office. He later convinced the army’s recruiting doctors to enlist him, and in 1950 he began working for the Ministry of Defense as part of his military service. He became a close aide to Nehemia Argov, the defense minister’s adjutant and a contemporary of Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, and over his career he served fourteen defense ministers.

Autobiography and awards
Yisraeli published his autobiography in 2005. In 1998 he received the Israel Prize for lifetime achievement and special contribution to society.

Death
Haim Yisraeli died on June 7, 2011, at the age of 83 or 84.