Gideon Schocken
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Gideon Schocken (also spelled Shocken; ; December 28, 1919 – November 24, 1981) was a German-born
Haganah Haganah ( , ) was the main Zionist political violence, Zionist paramilitary organization that operated for the Yishuv in the Mandatory Palestine, British Mandate for Palestine. It was founded in 1920 to defend the Yishuv's presence in the reg ...
fighter,
major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...
in the
British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, and
aluf ( or "first/leader of a group" in Biblical Hebrew) is a senior military rank in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) for officers who in other countries would have the rank of general, air marshal, or admiral. In addition to the ''aluf'' rank, fo ...
(major general) in the
Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...
(IDF). He served as the head of the
Manpower Directorate The Israeli Personnel Directorate (, ''Agaf Koakh Adam'', abbreviated to AKA), formerly called the Manpower Directorate and the Human Resources Directorate, is the Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively ...
from February 1956 to April 1961.


Biography

Gideon Schocken was born to Zerline "Lilli" () and
Salman Schocken Salman Schocken (; October 30, 1877August 6, 1959) or Shlomo Zalman Schocken () was a German Jewish publisher, and co-founder of the large Kaufhaus Schocken chain of department stores in Germany. Stripped of his citizenship and forced to sell hi ...
, the co-founder of
Schocken Books Schocken Books is a book publishing imprint of Penguin Random House that specializes in Jewish literary works. Originally established in 1931 by Salman Schocken as Schocken Verlag in Berlin, the company later moved to Israel and then the Unit ...
, an established publishing company in Germany. He immigrated to Israel with his family in 1934, graduating from
Gymnasia Rehavia Rehavia Gymnasium or the Jerusalem Rehavia Gymnasium, by its Hebrew name Gymnasia Rehavia (), is a high school in the Rehavia neighborhood in West Jerusalem. History The high school's initial name was the Hebrew Gymnasium in Jerusalem. Gymnasia ...
the following year. In 1936, Schocken joined the
Haganah Haganah ( , ) was the main Zionist political violence, Zionist paramilitary organization that operated for the Yishuv in the Mandatory Palestine, British Mandate for Palestine. It was founded in 1920 to defend the Yishuv's presence in the reg ...
, and in 1943 he passed the platoon commanders' course. Schocken studied at
Hebrew University The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; ) is an Israeli public research university based in Jerusalem. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Chaim Weizmann in July 1918, the public university officially opened on 1 April 1925. It is the second-ol ...
and
Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...
. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, he volunteered for the British Army, later serving in the
Jewish Brigade The Jewish Infantry Brigade Group, more commonly known as the Jewish Brigade Group or Jewish Brigade, was a military formation of the British Army in the World War II, Second World War. It was formed in late 1944 and was recruited among Yishuv, Y ...
fighting in North Africa and Italy. In 1946, he was discharged from the British Army as a major. Following the war, he went to the United States to help his father move their publishing business to New York. By 1949, Schocken had returned to Israel, joining the IDF, where he was appointed the deputy head of the
Manpower Directorate The Israeli Personnel Directorate (, ''Agaf Koakh Adam'', abbreviated to AKA), formerly called the Manpower Directorate and the Human Resources Directorate, is the Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively ...
. He served as the head of staff of the
Operations Directorate The Israeli Operations Directorate (, ''Agaf HaMivtza'im'', abbreviated as ( ''Agam'') is the Operations (military staff), operations branch in the Israeli General Staff, General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces. It was established in 1999, al ...
from 1953 until 1955, when he joined the Emergency Management division of the Office of the Prime Minister. On February 15, 1956, Schocken was appointed head of
Manpower Directorate The Israeli Personnel Directorate (, ''Agaf Koakh Adam'', abbreviated to AKA), formerly called the Manpower Directorate and the Human Resources Directorate, is the Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively ...
of the
General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces The General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces or General Headquarters (), abbreviated Matkal (מטכ"ל), is the supreme command of the Israel Defense Forces. It is based in the HaKirya, Kirya compound (Rabin Camp) in Tel Aviv. Members The maj ...
with the rank of aluf mishne. He received the rank of aluf in May 1959. Schocken retired at the end of his term in April 1961. After his military service, Schocken became the commissioner of the Israeli security forces under the office of the
State Comptroller of Israel The State Comptroller of Israel ( ''Mevaker HaMedina'', , literally: ''Critic of State'') inspects, reviews, and audits the policies and operations of the government of the State of Israel. The State Comptroller's Office is also the government's ...
. He also became a member on the board of directors of
Bank Leumi Bank Leumi (, lit. ''National Bank''; ) is an Israeli bank. It was founded on February 27, 1902, in Jaffa as the ''Anglo Palestine Company'' as subsidiary of the Jewish Colonial Trust () Limited formed before in London by members of the Zionism, ...
. Schocken was an avid collector of
modern Modern may refer to: History *Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century Philosophy ...
and
naïve art Naïve art is usually defined as visual art that is created by a person who lacks the formal education and training that a professional artist undergoes (in anatomy, art history, technique, perspective, ways of seeing). When this aesthetic is ...
and photography. Among other things, he designed the first book covers of
Franz Kafka Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a novelist and writer from Prague who was Jewish, Austrian, and Czech and wrote in German. He is widely regarded as a major figure of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of Litera ...
's English publications. Schocken died in 1981. His wife, Deborah Schocken is curator of art and founder of the Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art. Schocken had two daughters: Yael Miron and Tamar Schocken. Schocken's son, Shimon Schocken, is a professor of computer science at the
Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya Reichman University () is Israel's only private university, located in Herzliya, Tel Aviv District. It was founded in 1994 as the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya (IDC Herzliya, ) private college, before being rebranded in 2021. It receives no ...
.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schocken, Gideon 1919 births 1981 deaths Israeli generals Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to Mandatory Palestine Haganah members Jewish Brigade personnel Schocken family