Abi Har Even

Abi Har Even was born in 1937 in Romania

Har Even was born in Romania in 1937 as Abba Hartstein. His family moved to Israel in August 1950. He finished the Rehavia Gymnasium in Jerusalem in 1955.

He began mechanical engineering studies at the Technion, but the program was stopped and he was drafted into the Artillery Corps. During his service he earned an electrical engineering degree from the Technion in 1963. He later completed an MBA at Tel Aviv University in 1975.

He served in artillery and air defense research and development roles, and in 1965 he was sent to Uganda to set up its air defense. From 1968 he worked in the IDF research and development branch, later known as MAFAT, and founded the Meital unit. In 1977 his team won the Israel Defense Prize, and he retired in 1979 as a colonel.

After leaving the army he headed the Israeli subsidiary of Fischer & Porter. In 1982 he joined Israel Aerospace Industries and led the team that developed the Shavit satellite launcher. From 1995 to 2004 he led the Israel Space Agency as its first full-time director, expanding its international ties, including work with NASA on the flight of astronaut Ilan Ramon.

He later became a research fellow at the Begin-Sadat Center at Bar-Ilan University and published studies on space policy. In May 2021 he was badly burned when his hotel in Acre was set on fire during riots. He died of his injuries on June 6, 2021.