- Yossi Harel
Yossi Harel ( _he. יוסי הראל), born Yosef Hamburger (
January 4 ,1918 -April 26 ,2008 ) was the supervisor of the "Exodus 1947" operation and a leading member of the Israeli intelligence community.cite news|accessdate=2008-04-27
url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/978096.html
title= Yossi Harel, commander of Exodus, dies at 90
author=Ashkenazi, Eli
work=Haaretz
date=April 27 ,2008 ]Biography
Yossi Harel was born in
Jerusalem in 1918. He was a sixth generation Jerusalemite. At the age of 15, he joined theHaganah . Later, he fought underOrde Wingate . Between 1945 and 1948, he played a leading role in the clandestine immigration enterprise in pre-state Israel, commanding fourAliyah Bet ships: Knesset Israel, the Exodus, Atzma'ut and Kibbutz Galuyot. Harel studied mechanical engineering in theUnited States . As chief of staff,Moshe Dayan called him back to Israel and made him head of Unit 131, anIsrael Defense Force intelligence unit.Commemoration
Harel is the subject of a
biography in Hebrew byYoram Kaniuk , "Exodus: The Odyssey of a Commander" (1999), which has been translated into many languages. [http://www.ithl.org.il/book_info.asp?id=656 Profile of Kaniuk biography] He rose to fame after the release of the 1960Otto Preminger film "Exodus", which was based on theLeon Uris novel of the same name. His character in the novel, Ari Ben-Canaan, was portrayed byPaul Newman . [cite news|accessdate=2008-04-27
url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3536055,00.html
title=Yossi Harel, who commanded Jewish refugee ship Exodus in 1947, dies in Tel Aviv
author=Leker, Maya
date=April 26 ,2008
publisher=Ynetnews]In 2007 the government of Italy awarded the Exodus prize to Harel. The prize is given annually to individuals who promote peace and humanitarianism at
La Spezia in Italy, where the ship Exodus was renovated. [ Yossi Harel, 90, Commanded Historic Refugee Ship, By The Daily Telegraph, April 29, 2008 ]Death
Harel died of heart attack in
Tel Aviv onApril 26 ,2008 at the age of 90.References
ee also
* [http://www.gyaszhir.hu/Temak-yossi-harel-55.html Yossi Harel Hungarian Tribute]
* [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article3841190.ece Obituary: "Times"]
* [http://www.exodus1947.com Exodus1947.com] PBS Documentary Film, narrated by Morley Safer
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