Shmuel Arad

Shmuel Arad was born in 1947 in Haifa

Shmuel Arad was born in Haifa in 1947 as Shmuel Kuperarad. He graduated from the military boarding school next to the Hebrew Reali School. He later earned a bachelor's degree in history and Middle Eastern studies from Tel Aviv University.

He joined the IDF in 1965 and volunteered for the paratroopers. He fought in the Six-Day War, the War of Attrition and the Yom Kippur War, and led a force in Operation Entebbe in 1976. He went on to command the Paratroopers Brigade, the Fire Formation and the Operations Directorate.

In 1994 he became a major general and head of the Home Front Command. He retired in 1997 after 32 years of service.

From 1997 to 2001 he was director general of the Israel Builders Association. He sat on the boards of El Al, Rafael and Bank Hapoalim, and chaired the Paratroopers Association. In 2003 he lost the race for mayor of Haifa, served on the city council, and died of a heart attack that year.