Gad Navon

Gad Navon was born in 1920 in Marrakech

Gad Navon was born Mimun Fahima in Morocco. He studied Torah as a child and later learned in yeshivas in Marrakech. He was ordained as a rabbi after studying the entire Talmud.

He took part in the illegal immigration of Jews to Palestine and was sent to France by the Zionist movement. He immigrated to Israel in 1948. He fought in the Negev Brigade of the Palmach and became its chaplain.

In 1950 he became chaplain of the Southern Command and later of the Northern Command. He served as the Northern Command rabbi in the Six-Day War. In 1971 he became deputy to Chief Military Rabbi Mordechai Peron.

In 1977 he was appointed Chief Military Rabbi and made major general. He founded the military rabbis course and placed a military rabbi in reserve battalions. He wrote halachic papers on identifying fallen soldiers and held the post until May 2000.

He died on 25 June 2006 at his home in Yavne. He was buried in the military cemetery on Mount Herzl.