Politicsאריה לבבי

Arieh Levavi

Arieh Levavi was an Israeli diplomat who served as Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and as ambassador to Argentina at the time of Adolf Eichmann's capture.

1912 to 2009Director General of the Foreign MinistryAmbassador to Argentina during Eichmann's captureAmbassador to Switzerland

Born: 3 June 1912, Vilnius
Died: 1 February 2009, Jerusalem
Occupation: diplomat

Arieh Levavi was born in 1912 in Vilnius

Levavi was born Arieh Leibman in Vilnius in 1912. After the 1917 revolution his family moved to Germany, where he was active in the Habonim movement. He studied philosophy, mathematics and physics at the universities of Danzig and Heidelberg.

He moved to the Land of Israel in 1932 and earned a master's degree in philosophy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. From 1936 to 1938 he served in the Notrut and was on the editorial board of the newspaper Davar. He was then sent to Germany for HeHalutz and was expelled in 1938 by an order signed by Adolf Eichmann.

After returning he worked in the political department of the Jewish Agency and joined the Foreign Ministry when the state was founded. He served at the embassy in Moscow, headed the Eastern Europe department, and was Israel's envoy to Yugoslavia from 1954. In 1958 he became ambassador to Argentina, and after Eichmann's capture in 1960 Argentina declared him persona non grata.

He later became Director General of the Foreign Ministry and led it during the Six Day War. He then served as ambassador to Switzerland until 1975. He died in 2009 and was buried at Har HaMenuchot.