Erez Zuckerman

Erez Zuckerman was born in 1964 in Dan

Erez Zuckerman was born in 1964 on Kibbutz Dan. He was the eldest of 4 brothers, born to a mother who immigrated from Chile and an Israeli-born father. He attended the Pardes Hanna agricultural high school, and his father was killed in a road accident a few months before his enlistment.

He enlisted in 1982 and trained as a fighter in Shayetet 13, rising through its command posts and also commanding the missile boat INS Kidon. In 1993, as a lieutenant colonel, he led a raid on a militant base in Tripoli during Operation Accountability. In 1995 he became the first commander of the new Egoz Unit in the Golani Brigade and led it during Operation Grapes of Wrath.

In 1999 the High Court of Justice ruled in his favor on a petition against his appointment, and he became commander of Shayetet 13 as a colonel. After studying at the U.S. Naval War College, he took command of the Golani Brigade in 2003, the first navy officer to command an IDF infantry brigade. He also holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Haifa.

In 2005 he was promoted to brigadier general and given command of the Netiv HaEsh reserve armored division in the Northern Command. The division fought in the final days of the Second Lebanon War in August 2006, and its performance drew criticism. In May 2007 he resigned and retired from the army, saying he took personal responsibility for failing in his role.