Itzhak Yavneh

Itzhak Yavneh was born in 1923 in Tel Aviv

Itzhak Yavneh was born in Tel Aviv in 1923 to Yaakov and Yona, immigrants from Ukraine. The family moved to Kibbutz Degania Alef, where he grew up. He studied at the agricultural high school in Pardes Hanna.

He joined the Palmach in 1943 and commanded a demolition platoon in the Night of the Bridges in 1946. In 1947 he learned to fly and headed the Palmach flight platoon, and in the War of Independence he commanded the Negev Squadron. He received his wings in 1949 after training in Czechoslovakia.

In the Air Force he was the first commander of 107 Squadron and later commanded 101 Squadron and the flight school. In the 1956 Sinai campaign he led Mustang aircraft that cut telephone lines in Sinai. He earned a bachelor's degree in psychology and sociology and retired in 1967 as a lieutenant colonel.

After his discharge he pursued doctoral studies in sociology at Columbia University and then worked as a civilian flight instructor. In 1974 he cofounded the General Aviation Association and led it until 1984. He founded the IDF missing persons unit and commanded it from 1974 to 1987, reaching the rank of colonel.

He was married to Aviva until her death in 1996, and they had a daughter and two sons. He died in 2022.