Gideon Altshuler

Gideon Altshuler was born in 1928 in Haifa

Gideon Altshuler was born in Haifa in 1928 and grew up in Rehovot. His grandfather Yitzhak Zeev Altshuler was among the founders of Rehovot. His mother, Haya Epstein, came from a family linked to the Hasidic immigration of 1777.

In 1942 he was recruited to the Haganah, later joined the Irgun, and then volunteered for the Jewish Brigade, serving in Egypt, the Netherlands and Belgium. In the War of Independence he fought with the Givati Brigade's 52nd Battalion at Latrun and in the south. After the war he studied Middle Eastern studies and political science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

He held infantry and intelligence posts before moving to armor in 1958. He commanded the 52nd Battalion in 1964 and 1965, was wounded in Sinai in the Six-Day War, and in 1969 founded Brigade 274, equipped with captured Soviet tanks. In the Yom Kippur War he was chief of staff of Division 143, and he retired in 1975 as a colonel.

After leaving the army he joined the Movement for Greater Israel and took part in settlement efforts at Elon Moreh and Kedumim. He co-founded Tehiya and served as its secretary general, and co-founded the Officers' Circle for Security and Peace. He was also a founder of Karmei Yosef, where he headed its local committees.

He was married to Herut and they had 5 daughters. He died on November 14, 2008, and was buried in Karmei Yosef.