Militaryיעקב דורי

Jacob Dori

Yaakov Dori was the first Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces and later served as president of the Technion.

1899 to 1973First IDF Chief of StaffHaganah Chief of StaffPresident of the Technion

Born: 8 October 1899, Odesa
Died: 29 January 1973, Haifa
Occupation: military personnel, politician, military officer
Education: Hebrew Reali School, Ghent University
Rank: general
Wars: World War I, 1948 Palestine war

Jacob Dori was born in 1899 in Odesa

Yaakov Dori was born Yaakov Dostrovsky in Odessa in 1899. After the 1905 pogrom against the Jews of Odessa, his family moved to the Land of Israel and settled in Haifa.

He finished high school at the Hebrew Reali School in Haifa. After serving in World War I, he studied civil engineering at the University of Ghent in Belgium.

He served in the Jewish Legion of the British Army and joined the Haganah after returning in 1926. He commanded the Haganah in Haifa and became its Chief of Staff in 1939. When the IDF was formed, he became its first Chief of Staff and left the post on November 9, 1949.

After leaving the army he headed the Science Council in the Prime Minister's office. He was president of the Technion in Haifa until 1965. In 1955 he sat on the committee that examined the Lavon affair.

In 1965 he joined the Rafi party and became deputy mayor of Haifa. He received the Legion of Honour from France in 1959. He died in 1973 and was buried in Haifa.

Milestones in Jacob Dori's life

1899
Born in Odessa.
1905
His family moved to the Land of Israel.
1926
Joined the Haganah.
1939
Became Chief of Staff of the Haganah.
1949
Ended his term as IDF Chief of Staff.
1959
Made a Knight of the Legion of Honour.
1965
Ended his term as Technion president.
1973
Died.

Jacob Dori served in the military

He served in the Jewish Legion in World War I, joined the Haganah in 1926, commanded it in Haifa and became its Chief of Staff in 1939. He was the first Chief of Staff of the IDF until 1949.