Israel Galili

Israel Galili was born in 1911 in Brailiv

Israel Galili was born Israel Berchenko in 1911 in Brailiv, in the Russian Empire. His family moved to the Land of Israel in 1914, when he was three. He went to school there and learned the printing trade.

In 1924 he helped found the youth movement HaNoar HaOved and served as its first secretary. In 1930 he was among the founders of Kibbutz Na'an, where he remained a member until his death.

Galili joined the Haganah in 1927 and joined its leadership in 1935, later overseeing acquisitions and arms. He became head of the Haganah national command in 1947. In 1948 David Ben-Gurion abolished his post, which led to the episode called the Generals' Revolt.

He served in the Knesset from 1949 to 1951 and from 1955 to 1977, for Mapam, Ahdut HaAvoda and the Alignment. He was a minister without portfolio in several governments and a close adviser to Prime Minister Golda Meir. He also chaired the Ministerial Committee for Settlement and wrote the Galili Document.

In 1982 he initiated a center for the study of the Haganah at Ramat Efal, later named after him. His son Yonatan died in 1963. Galili died in 1986.