35 Facts About Isser Harel

Isser Harel was spymaster of the intelligence and the security services of Israel and the Director of the Mossad.

Isser Harel was born as Yisrael Natanovich Halperin in 1911 in the city of Vitebsk, within the Pale of Settlement of the Russian Empire, as the fourth child to a wealthy Jewish family.

Isser Harel's father, Rabbi Natan-Neta Halperin, was a graduate of the Lithuanian Volozhin Yeshiva, and his mother, Yocheved, was a homemaker, the daughter of a wealthy local Jewish industrialist.

Isser Harel once attended a speech given by Leon Trotsky in his city.

Isser Harel writes that during a particularly rainy winter, the local river overflowed, threatening to breach the dam and flood the city.

Isser Harel carried a pistol, which he concealed in a loaf of bread.

Isser Harel asked the kibbutz for help repaying the loans, but his request was denied.

Isser Harel was placed in the Jewish Settlement Police while continuing his role in the Shai.

Isser Harel was introduced to Ben-Gurion and reported on the activities of his department.

Isser Harel maintained fair relations with members of other underground movements, who were under his department's surveillance.

Isser Harel was appointed to head the "Shin Bet", a branch of the IDF.

Isser Harel employed, without distinction, former members of the Haganah, Palmach, Irgun, and Lehi in the Shin Bet and later in the Mossad.

From his appointment until his resignation on 25 March 1963, Isser Harel held responsibility for the Shin Bet, where the head of the Shin Bet was subordinate to his directives.

Isser Harel was the only individual in the history of the State of Israel to hold a position that consolidated both internal and external intelligence responsibilities, giving him unprecedented power.

Isser Harel participated in leadership meetings of the ruling Mapai party, where he would report on the activities of opposition parties.

For eleven years, Isser Harel served as the head of Israeli intelligence services, during which time the organizational structures and operational methods of the security services were formed and refined.

Isser Harel was instrumental in the arrest of Aharon Cohen, one of the leaders of Mapam and a prominent figure in the Kibbutz Artzi movement, who was convicted of espionage in 1958 after meeting with a Soviet diplomat.

Isser Harel argued that Cohen's actions went beyond legitimate political meetings and crossed into criminal espionage.

Isser Harel became increasingly worried about the influence of Uri Avnery's weekly magazine, "HaOlam HaZeh", which was known for its anti-establishment stance and its harsh criticism of the Ben-Gurion government and the ruling Mapai party.

Isser Harel viewed the presence of these scientists as a grave danger and launched a covert campaign to intimidate and disrupt their work.

Isser Harel, convinced that the scientists represented an existential threat to Israel, strongly disagreed with Ben-Gurion's decision.

Isser Harel believed that Ben-Gurion underestimated the danger and felt that the Prime Minister's focus on maintaining positive relations with West Germany was misguided.

Isser Harel's resignation marked the end of an era in Israeli intelligence, as Harel had been the central figure in shaping the country's security services since their inception.

The highlight of Isser Harel's career came in 1960 with the capture of Adolf Eichmann, one of the key architects of the Holocaust.

Isser Harel later chronicled the operation in his bestselling book, "The House on Garibaldi Street", which was adapted into a movie in 1979.

However, in 1965, amid the political turmoil surrounding the split within the ruling Mapai party, Isser Harel was invited by Prime Minister Levi Eshkol to serve as a security advisor.

Isser Harel accepted the position, but his role was largely symbolic, and he resigned in June 1966 after concluding that he lacked meaningful authority in the government.

Isser Harel continued to be involved in public life through his writing and his outspoken views on national security matters.

In 1969, Isser Harel entered politics, joining the National List, a party founded by Ben-Gurion after his split from the Labor Alignment.

Isser Harel was elected to the Knesset in 1969 and served as a member of the seventh Knesset until 1974.

Isser Harel's books, including The House on Garibaldi Street and Security and Democracy, became key texts for understanding Israel's intelligence operations during its formative years.

Isser Harel passed away on February 18,2003, at the age of 91.

Isser Harel is remembered as one of Israel's founding fathers of intelligence, whose leadership and vision helped to secure the state during its most vulnerable early years.

Isser Harel remains one of the most influential figures in the history of Israeli intelligence.

Isser Harel's pioneering work in establishing and leading the Shin Bet and the Mossad shaped both organizations into formidable security agencies known for their effectiveness and reach.