David Elazar

David Elazar was born in 1925 in Sarajevo

David Elazar, known as Dado, was born in Sarajevo in 1925 to a family of Sephardic heritage. His mother died when he was a child, and his father was an officer in the Yugoslav army. In Zagreb he joined the Hashomer Hatzair youth movement.

He came to the Land of Israel in 1940 with Youth Aliyah and was held at the Atlit camp until March 1941. He then settled with his group on kibbutz Ein Shemer. In 1953 he studied economics and Middle East studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

He joined the Palmach and fought in the War of Independence with the Harel Brigade, later commanding its HaPortzim Battalion. He stayed in the army and moved to the armored corps after the Sinai campaign.

He headed the Northern Command from 1964 to 1969 and oversaw the capture of the Golan Heights in the Six-Day War. He was appointed Chief of Staff on 1 January 1972. The Yom Kippur War began on 6 October 1973, and he later resigned after the findings of the Agranat Commission.

He died on 15 April 1976.