Yoash Tzidon

Yoash Tzidon was born in 1926 in Focșani

Yoash Tzidon was born Yoash Chatto in Focșani, Romania, in 1926. He came to the Land of Israel in 1941 with Youth Aliyah and lived in Kiryat Bialik. He later studied radio at the naval school near the Technion and finished in May 1945.

He joined the Haganah in 1943 and later the Palyam of the Palmach. From 1945 he worked as a radio operator for Aliyah Bet, sailing on immigrant ships. In the Cyprus detention camps he set up a secret radio station and in 1947 became the Haganah commander there.

During the War of Independence he commanded convoys to Jerusalem. He then joined the first flight course held fully in Israel. He became a fighter pilot and the first Israeli test pilot.

In 1956 he founded the Bat squadron for night fighting. He studied at the Technion and at the air war school in France, finishing in 1962. He later headed weapons systems and planning in the Air Force and left the service in 1966.

He joined the Movement for Greater Israel and then Tzomet. He was elected to the Knesset in 1988 and helped start the law for direct election of the prime minister. He lost his seat in 1992 and died in 2015.