Public lifeמינה בן צבי

Mina Ben-Zvi

Mina Ben-Zvi was the first commander of the Israel Defense Forces Women's Corps, a post she held from 1948 to 1949.

1909 to 2000First commander of IDF Women's CorpsFounding the Mount Carmel training centerService in the British ATS

Born: 1 March 1909, Mezhirichi
Died: 23 December 2000
Occupation: activist, military officer
Education: New York University
Rank: Sgan Aluf
Wars: World War II

Mina Ben-Zvi was born in 1909 in Mezhirichi

Mina Ben-Zvi was born Mina Rogozik in 1909 in Mezhirichi, a town in Volhynia in the Russian Empire, today in Ukraine. In 1921 she moved with her family to the Land of Israel.

She studied at the Hebrew Reali School in Haifa and at the Montefiore technical school in Tel Aviv. From 1930 to 1933 she studied at New York University.

In 1933 she returned and joined the Haganah. In 1942 she was among the first 66 women to enlist in the British Army's Auxiliary Territorial Service, and she later commanded a company in Egypt. In 1948 David Ben-Gurion asked her to help set up the IDF Women's Corps, and she became its first commander.

She married Eliyahu Ben-Zvi in 1947. She served as consul in Finland from 1953 to 1955 and as Israel's representative to the UN Commission on the Status of Women from 1956 to 1958. She sat on the Haifa city council from 1959 to 1969.

She founded the Mount Carmel International Training Center and directed it until 1987. In 1978 she became an honorary citizen of Haifa. She died in 2000 and was buried in Kfar Yehoshua beside her husband.

Mina Ben-Zvi's life in 9 milestones

1909
Born in Mezhirichi.
1921
Moved with her family to the Land of Israel.
1933
Joined the Haganah.
1942
Enlisted in the British Auxiliary Territorial Service.
1948
Became the first commander of the IDF Women's Corps.
1953
Began serving as consul in Finland.
1956
Became Israel's representative to the UN Commission on the Status of Women.
1978
Received honorary citizenship of Haifa.
2000
Died.

Mina Ben-Zvi served in the military

She joined the Haganah in 1933 and in 1942 enlisted in the British Auxiliary Territorial Service, where she commanded a company in Egypt. From 1948 to 1949 she was the first commander of the IDF Women's Corps, with the rank of lieutenant colonel.