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Zionism and Israel - BiographiesBiography of Shaul Avigur |
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Biography of Shaul AvigurShaul Avigur (1899-1979) was born Shaul Meirov in Latvia. At the age of 12 he came on Aliya (emigrated) to the land of Israel. He studied at the Gymnasia Herzlia high school. At the beginning of 1918 he joined Kvutzath Kinereth and remained a member all his life. In 1920 he joined the defenders of Tel Hai. He was instrumental in organizing new settlement, and in founding several important defense establishments. He founded the Shai (Sherut Yediot = information service) of the Haganah, and the counter intelligence service (Resh Nun - Rigul Negdi) and Ta'as- the clandestine defense industry that later became the Israel defense industry. He was active in the fight against the British White Paper of 1939 and then served as head of the illegal immigration authority, the Mossad l'Aliya Bet, which operated to help Jews escape from Nazi-occupied Europe. He was also active in organizing clandestine arms purchases.Avigur was largely a self-taught man, and the intelligence services that he founded, which would evolve indirectly into the world famous Mossad intelligence service, developed on a trial and terror basis. The Mossad l'Aliya Bet had a total of ten agents in Europe, who were charged with the nearly impossible tasks of organizing illegal immigration, chartering ships and removing Jews from Nazi-occupied Europe. During the War of Independence he helped to set up the Israel Defense Ministry. His son Gur was killed during the war, and he changed his name to Avigur (father of Gur). Avigur later founded the group that came to be known as Nativ, which handled contact with Eastern European Jews and especially Soviet Jews. He was a member of various secret committees and was apparently a founder of and adviser to the Mossad intelligence organization. He initiated the creation of the Toldot Hahaganah history book and was one of its editors. Israel Christian Zionism Site Map |