Shimon Mazeh (Sometimes spelled Shimon Maz'ah; ; September 3, 1907 – April 2, 2000) was

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, a 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 ...

, an agronomist, and a businessman. 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 1949 until December 1952.

Biography

Mazeh was born in the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

and grew up in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. During his teens he joined the '' Blau Weiss'', a Jewish youth movement. He studied

agronomy Agronomy is the science and technology of producing and using plants by agriculture for food, fuel, fiber, chemicals, recreation, or land conservation. Agronomy has come to include research of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and ...

in Germany, Italy and France and completed his doctorate. In 1931 Mazeh migrated to Israel. He became a

researcher Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge. It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness to ...

for the

Volcani Institute of Agricultural Research The Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Institute (), previously known as the Agricultural Research Station of the Jewish Agency for Israel, is an Israeli agricultural research center. It serves as the research arm of the Ministry of Agric ...

Rehovot Rehovot (, / ) is a city in the Central District (Israel), Central District of Israel, about south of Tel Aviv. In it had a population of . Etymology Israel Belkind, founder of the Bilu (movement), Bilu movement, proposed the name "Rehovot ...

British Army and the Israel Defense Forces

Mazeh joined the

in 1933. He volunteered 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 ...

. He served in the convoy and after the formation of 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 ...

he commanded the brigade's supply unit in Europe. During the

1947–1949 Palestine war The 1948 Palestine war was fought in the territory of what had been, at the start of the war, British-ruled Mandatory Palestine. During the war, the British withdrew from Palestine, Zionism, Zionist forces conquered territory and established ...

he became the founder of the combat service support of the IDF which he headed until May 1949. The division consisted of a number of sub-services: Food services, Fuel services, Equipment services, Transportation services, and service dogs and horses. After a short stay in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, Mazeh was appointed to the head of the

on October 9, 1949. His success in the combat service support proved to be invaluable for his work in the Manpower Directorate. Mazeh served this position until 1952 when he was succeeded by

Tzvi Tzur Tzvi Tzur (also transliterated Zvi Tsur; ; 17 April 1923 – 28 December 2004) was an Israeli officer who served as the IDF's 6th Chief of Staff (1961–1963). Biography Early life Tzur was born in the Zaslav in the Soviet Union (now Izias ...

After his release from the IDF

At 1955 Mazeh was released of his military service and went into private business. With the aid of foreign investors Mazeh founded an agricultural corporation named ''"מגל"'' ("sickle"). The company, which focused on growing mainly

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

and

sugar beet A sugar beet is a plant whose root contains a high concentration of sucrose and that is grown commercially for sugar production. In plant breeding, it is known as the Altissima cultivar group of the common beet (''Beta vulgaris''). Together with ...

, operated near Kibbutz Hazor and

Gan Yavne Gan-Yavne () is a town in central Israel, located adjacent to the city of Ashdod. Gan Yavne was founded in 1931 and achieved local council status in 1950. It later expanded to incorporate the ruins of the depopulated Palestinian town of Barqa, ...

. They also managed a number

orchards An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit- or nut-producing trees that are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of lar ...

in the area. At the time Mazeh became the President of Cotton Farmers of Israel. During the late 1960s and early 1970s Mazeh represented the organization in the

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; . (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security. Its Latin motto, , translates t ...

. Mazeh died in 2000. He is buried in the Military cemetery at Mount Herzl.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mazeh, Shimon 1907 births 2000 deaths Israeli generals Jewish scientists 20th-century Israeli businesspeople Belarusian Jews German emigrants to Mandatory Palestine Haganah members Jewish Brigade personnel Burials at Mount Herzl Emigrants from the Russian Empire to Germany 20th-century Israeli agronomists Israeli military personnel of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War