Yom-Tov Samia

Yom-Tov Samia was born in 1954 in Pardesiya

Samia was born in 1954 in the Pardesiya transit camp, the seventh of 8 children of parents from Libya. The family moved to the Neot Herzl neighborhood of Netanya, where he grew up. He was active in a youth movement and a Nahal group, and at 17 he led the local branch of his movement.

He enlisted in the IDF in 1972 and served in the Paratroopers, fighting in the Yom Kippur War. He later commanded battalions, the Givati Brigade, the Gaza Division and the Galilee Division. In 1997 he became a major general and head of Southern Command.

He holds a Ph.D. in sociology and political science. In 1998 he received a Tel Aviv University prize for research on the organizational climate of IDF field units.

After leaving the army he was co-CEO of the BARAN Group and chaired the Israel Sports Betting Board as a volunteer. From late 2005 he headed the energy division of Israel Corporation, and in 2007 he founded IC Green Energy. He also lectures at academic institutions and comments on military affairs in the media.

From 2006 to 2015 he served in the reserves as deputy head of Southern Command. In June 2015 he returned to private business.