Moshe Levi
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Moshe Levy (; April 18, 1936 – January 8, 2008) was an Israeli military commander and the 12th
Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...
of 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 in this position from 1983 to 1987, towards the end of the first Lebanon war and the establishment of the South Lebanon Security Belt.


Biography

Levy, born in
Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...
to an Iraqi-Jewish family, was known by his army
nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...
''Moshe VaHetzi'' ( ("Moshe and a half") because of his towering height, which was about .The project of 'Moshe-and-a-half'
Haaretz, 11 January 2008 He was drafted into the army in 1954 and served in the
Golani Brigade The 1st "Golani" Brigade (, ''Hativat Golani'') is an Israeli military infantry brigade. It is subordinated to the 36th Division and traditionally associated with the Northern Command. It is one of the five infantry brigades of the regular Is ...
. After completing his officers' course, Levy joined the Paratroopers Brigade. He fought in the
Suez Crisis The Suez Crisis, also known as the Second Arab–Israeli War, the Tripartite Aggression in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel, was a British–French–Israeli invasion of Egypt in 1956. Israel invaded on 29 October, having done so w ...
of 1956, during which he took part in the Mitla Pass parachute drop.Ex-IDF chief Moshe Levy dies at 72
Haaretz, 10 January 2008
From 1963 to 1967, he held a number of command positions in the Paratroopers Brigade, and became its operations officer. He was appointed commander of the School for Parachuting and Guerrilla Warfare. During the
Six-Day War The Six-Day War, also known as the June War, 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states, primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, Syria, and Jordan from 5 to 10June ...
, Levy fought on the Sinai and Golan Heights fronts. He led the operation to conquer Ras Sedr in the Sinai. In 1968, he was appointed deputy commander of the Reserve Paratroopers Brigade and in 1969, he became commander of the Jordan Valley Regional Brigade. During the
War of Attrition The War of Attrition (; ) involved fighting between Israel and Egypt, Jordan, the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and their allies from 1967 to 1970. Following the 1967 Six-Day War, no serious diplomatic efforts were made to resolve t ...
, his brigade pursued militant squads attempting to infiltrate from Jordan. He became commander of the Reserve Paratroopers Brigade in 1970.Lt. Gen. Moshe Levy (1983–1987)
/ref> Levy was appointed head of the Central Command staff in 1973 and served as head of the operations department of the
General Staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, Enlisted rank, enlisted, and civilian staff who serve the commanding officer, commander of a ...
in 1974. In 1976, he commanded the 880th Reserve Armored Division, and was appointed head of Central Command in 1977, serving in this position until 1981. Levy served as Deputy Chief of Staff and head of the Operations Division from 1982 to 1983. During his tenure, the First Lebanon War broke out and he took an active part in the management of the war alongside Chief of Staff
Rafael Eitan Rafael "Raful" Eitan (; 11 January 1929 – 23 November 2004) was an Israeli general, former Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (Ramatkal) and later a politician, a Knesset member, and government minister. Early life Rafael Eitan was ...
. Levy was promoted to Chief of Staff in 1983, succeeding Eitan. During his tenure, he presided over the IDF withdrawal in
Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
in 1985 and oversaw the redeployment of Israeli troops and the creation of the security zone in South Lebanon. Levy helped to build the IDF ground forces branch. He created two new infantry brigades: the Nahal Brigade and Givati Brigade.Former IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Levy hospitalized
Yediot Ahronoth, 1 January 2008
During his tenure as Chief of Staff, he presided over Operation Wooden Leg, the Israeli raid on the
PLO The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO; ) is a Palestinian nationalist coalition that is internationally recognized as the official representative of the Palestinian people in both the occupied Palestinian territories and the diaspora. ...
headquarters in
Tunis Tunis (, ') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Tunisia. The greater metropolitan area of Tunis, often referred to as "Grand Tunis", has about 2,700,000 inhabitants. , it is the third-largest city in the Maghreb region (after Casabl ...
and the airlifting of Ethiopian Jews to Israel in Operation Moses and Operation Joshua. While serving as Chief of Staff and after retiring from the army, Levy lived in Kibbutz
Beit Alfa Beit Alfa (; also Beit Alpha, Bet Alpha and Bet Alfa) is a kibbutz in the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel, founded in 1922 by immigrants from Poland. Located at the base of the Gilboa (ridge), Gilboa ridge, it falls under ...
in northern Israel. In his last years, he was the founding chairperson of the supervisory board of Highway 6, also known as the Trans-Israel Highway. Levy was married twice and was survived by five children and five grandchildren. In 2002, Levy suffered a stroke and was hospitalized at Sheba Medical Center. He was left with limited mobility and relied on a wheelchair, but continued to remain in the public eye. On January 1, 2008, Levy suffered a massive stroke and was hospitalized at HaEmek Medical Center in
Afula Afula () is a city in the Northern District of Israel, often known as the "Capital of the Valley" due to its strategic location in the Jezreel Valley. As of , the city had a population of . Afula's ancient tell (settlement mound) suggests habit ...
, and died eight days later of a
brain aneurysm An intracranial aneurysm, also known as a cerebral aneurysm, is a cerebrovascular disorder characterized by a localized dilation or ballooning of a blood vessel in the brain due to a weakness in the vessel wall. These aneurysms can occur in an ...
. He was buried at Kibbutz Beit Alpha. His funeral was attended by government officials and hundreds who knew and worked with him. Eight generals served as his pallbearers.


Popular culture

In a sketch by the HaGashash HaHiver comedy trio, Moshe Levy is referred to as ''Musa Wanus'' (Moshe and a half in
Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
). In 2008, the Israel Coins and Medals Corporation produced a set of three medals (in
gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
,
silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...
, and tombac) with his portrait.IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant Gen. Moshe Levy
ICMC website, Retrieved 22 February 2025.


See also

* List of Israel's Chiefs of the General Staff


References


External links


Obituary in ''The Times'', 17 January 2008
{{DEFAULTSORT:Levy, Moshe 1936 births 2008 deaths Israeli people of Iraqi-Jewish descent Israeli Jews Military personnel from Tel Aviv Deaths from intracranial aneurysm