Pinhas Kopel

Pinhas Kopel was born in 1918 in Poland

Pinhas Kopel was born on January 15, 1918, in the town of Turek in central Poland. His parents were Yohanan and Tsila Kopel. He moved with them to Mandatory Palestine in 1924.

At 15 he joined the Haganah and served in the Notrim as a sergeant major near Tirat Shalom and Rosh Pinna. He commanded in the Mobile Guards and served under Orde Wingate. He completed the first Haganah officers course in 1939.

In 1941 he volunteered for the British Army and served on several fronts, leaving in 1946 as a sergeant major. He then drove buses for the Dan cooperative and in 1947 joined the Haganah permanent staff as an instructor. In the War of Independence he led a convoy in Operation Nachshon and fought at Latrun with the 7th Armored Brigade.

He left the army in 1950 as a major and moved to the General Security Service. In 1953 he became the first commander of the new Border Police. He served as inspector general of the Israel Police from 1964 to 1972.

After the police he settled in Kfar Bin Nun. He chaired the inquiry into the Munich Olympics massacre and served as president of the Israel Football Association. He died on November 5, 1997, and was buried on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.