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David RazielOne of the founders and fourth leader of the Irgun. Leader of the Beitar movement
Date of Birth: 19.11.1910
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Content:
- David Raziel: A Life of Leadership and Sacrifice
- Joining the Military and Founding the Irgun
- Resistance Activities and Arrest
- Mission to Iraq and Tragic Death
- Legacy and Honors
David Raziel: A Life of Leadership and Sacrifice
Early Life and EducationDavid Raziel was born in Smorgoni, Vilna Governorate, to Mordechai and Bluma Rozenson. At the tender age of three, he emigrated with his family to Israel (then known as Palestine). During the First World War, his family, along with all Russian subjects in Palestine, was deported to Egypt. They later returned to Russia but eventually moved back to Israel in 1923. Raziel received his education in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
Joining the Military and Founding the Irgun
Following the Arab riots of 1928, Raziel joined the Haganah, but after further violence in 1929, he left the organization and co-founded the Irgun. In 1937, he became the Irgun's fourth leader. Under his leadership, the Irgun carried out several attacks against the Arab population, including bombings and shootings.
Resistance Activities and Arrest
Raziel's actions drew condemnation from the Jewish leadership and the mainstream Zionist movement, Mapai. He subsequently traveled to Paris in 1939, where he met with Ze'ev Jabotinsky, the leader of the Revisionist Zionist movement. Impressed by Raziel, Jabotinsky appointed him head of the Betar youth movement and encouraged him to continue carrying out acts of retaliation against the Arabs. In May 1939, Raziel was arrested by British police and imprisoned. He was released in 1940 after the Irgun suspended operations against the British following the outbreak of World War II.
Mission to Iraq and Tragic Death
In 1941, during the anti-British Rashid Ali uprising in Iraq, Britain requested Raziel's help in sabotaging oil installations near Baghdad that were vital to the German army. Raziel volunteered to lead the mission personally. On May 17, 1941, a team of four flew from Israel to Iraq. Tragically, on May 20, 1941, Raziel was killed by a bomb dropped from a German plane. He posthumously received the rank of Major General in the Israel Defense Forces.
Legacy and Honors
David Raziel's name lives on through Ramat Raziel, a settlement near Jerusalem founded by members of the Irgun and Betar. He is remembered as a courageous leader and a symbol of resistance against oppression.
