Yishai Zimmerman

Yishai Zimmerman was born in 1933 in Ein Harod

Yishai Zimmerman was born on November 22, 1933, in Ein Harod. He grew up on Kibbutz Ein Harod and, after the kibbutz split, in Ein Harod Ihud. Meir Har-Zion was his classmate on the kibbutz.

He joined the IDF in 1952 and served as a tank commander in the Armored Corps. He then volunteered for Unit 101, took part in reprisal operations, and later served as an officer in the Paratroopers reconnaissance unit. In November 1955 he led a force in Operation Volcano and received the Medal of Courage.

In the reserves he rose to major and fought in the Sinai campaign, the Six-Day War, where he was wounded in Jerusalem, and the Yom Kippur War. In August 1982 he and another reserve officer took a Cessna plane from Beirut airport and flew it to Israel. He was tried and sentenced to a month in prison, a fine of 15,000 shekels and demotion to lieutenant.

He kept serving in the reserves as a tank transporter driver, including in the Second Lebanon War and Operation Protective Edge. He protested against the disengagement plan and worked as a locksmith. He won first place in the Technion's Techno-Rosh contest in 2012, 2014 and 2018.

He was married to Raya from Kibbutz Mizra and had 6 children. He died in Ein Harod Ihud on October 26, 2026.