Shmuel (Rubashkin) Eyal ( he, שמואל איל; November 7, 1922 – March 5, 2008),

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, was

Haganah Haganah ( he, הַהֲגָנָה, lit. ''The Defence'') was the main Zionist paramilitary organization of the Jewish population ("Yishuv") in Mandatory Palestine between 1920 and its disestablishment in 1948, when it became the core of the ...

fighter and later a major general in the

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...

. He served as the 8th 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 body that holds responsibility for planning and coordination ...

from 1966 to 1970.

Biography

Eyal was born on November 7, 1922, in Vitebsk in

Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR, or Byelorussian SSR; be, Беларуская Савецкая Сацыялістычная Рэспубліка, Bielaruskaja Savieckaja Sacyjalistyčnaja Respublika; russian: Белор� ...

. In 1924 he immigrated to Mandatory Palestine. He went to the kindergarten there and to the ''Haviv'' public school in Rishon Le-Zion. He graduated from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem with a degree in economics and history. In 1937 he enlisted to the

where he underwent a course in Kiryat Anavim. In 1940 he joined the

Jewish Settlement Police The Jewish Settlement Police (JSP) ( he, משטרת היישובים העבריים, ''Mishteret Ha-Yishuvim Ha-Ivri'yim'') were a division of the Notrim established in Mandatory Palestine in 1936, during the 1936-39 Arab revolt.Levenberg, 1993, ...

where he served as a constable ("jhaffir"). During his service he graduated from the Juara training base in Ramat Menashe, in northern Israel. By 1946 was promoted to general commander in Rishon Lezion. In 1947 he was promoted to the Ephraim district commander. 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. It is known in Israel as the War of Independence ( he, מלחמת העצמאות, ''Milkhemet Ha'Atzma'ut'') and ...

, he commanded the 52nd battalion the

Givati Brigade The 84th "Givati" Brigade ( he, חֲטִיבַת גִּבְעָתִי, , "Hill Brigade" or "Highland Brigade") is an Israel Defense Forces infantry brigade. Until 2005, the Brigade used to be stationed within the Gaza Strip and primarily perf ...

. Has a commander he participated in the capture of Ashkelon, Nitzanim, and Isdud. Later becoming part of the Fallujah Pocket in the siege of Beersheba. After the war, Eyal served as the a head manager in the Air Force. He continued his studies at the Hebrew University. In 1958 he was appointed Civilian Defense's Chief Officer, and by 1960 he had become the Brigade commander of the

Nahal Brigade The 933rd "Nahal" Brigade is one of the Israel Defense Forces main infantry brigades. From August 2019 to June 2021, the brigade was led by . On June 28, was appointed as the new commander. However, three days later, on July 1, Asman suddenly ...

. In 1966 he was appointed to head of the

Israel's military attaché in the UK

After completing his term in 1970 he served as

Military attaché A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission, often an embassy. This type of attaché post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer, who retains a commission while serving with an embassy. Opport ...

in the United Kingdom. At the end of his service, Shmuel Eyal was awarded Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by the Queen of the United Kingdom, Elizabeth II for his work in advancing the commerce between Israel and Britain. He was discharged from the army with the rank of major general in 1973.

After his release from the IDF

With the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War, he was re-enlisted and took part in the Israeli delegation to the "101 Kilometer Talks" which led to the Agreement on Disengagement between Israel and Egypt. After his release from the army, Eyal ran for mayor of

Rishon Lezion Rishon LeZion ( he, רִאשׁוֹן לְצִיּוֹן , ''lit.'' First to Zion, Arabic: راشون لتسيون) is a city in Israel, located along the central Israeli coastal plain south of Tel Aviv. It is part of the Gush Dan metropolitan ar ...

from the Alignment party. In 1974 he was appointed to CEO of

Hamashbir Lazarchan Hamashbir Lazarchan ( he, המשביר לצרכן) is an Israeli chain of department stores. Hamashbir consists of 33 branches across the country.

. Between 1975 and 1989 he acted as the general manager. At the same time he also as assistant chief of the Personnel Directorate assisting with Israeli MIAs. He held that role until 1983. After retiring, Eyal was involved in many volunteering roles, including: * Member of the Veterans of the Haganah * National Board Member of the Israel Management Center * Member of the Public Council for Commemorating Soldiers * Member of The Society for Preservation of Israel Heritage Sites (SPIHS) * Friends of the Rishon Lezion Museum

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eyal, Shmuel 1922 births 2008 deaths Haganah members Israeli generals Soviet emigrants to Mandatory Palestine Israeli expatriates in the United Kingdom