Avraham Arnan

Avraham Arnan was born in 1930 in Jerusalem

Arnan was born Avramele Herling in Jerusalem on December 29, 1930, to a religious family. He was the youngest of 8 siblings, and his family owned the Warshawsky Hotel in Zion Square. He studied at a Mizrachi movement school and at the Bagrut school, and spent 2 years at the Hebrew University.

He joined the Haganah and fought in Jerusalem in 1948, then joined the Palmach's Harel Brigade. He was wounded several times during the War of Independence. In 1950 he took part in covert work to bring the Jews of Iraq to Israel through Iran.

In 1953 he returned to service in intelligence Unit 154. After the Sinai campaign he formed the first core of Sayeret Matkal, which became an independent unit in 1958 under his command. He later headed the technology unit and the collection department of Military Intelligence, and in 1972 became counterterrorism adviser in the Prime Minister's Office.

He retired in 1979 as a brigadier general and worked as a gardener's assistant at Kibbutz Tzuba. He was a special adviser on the film Operation Jonathan. He died of cancer on April 23, 1980, and was buried at Mount Herzl. He was married to Dalia and had 2 daughters.