Avraham Stern

Avraham Stern (Hebrew: אברהםשטרן Avraham Shtern), alias Yair (Hebrew: יאיר) D (December 23rd, 1907 - February 12th, 1942) is a writer and poet, as well as the founder of the group Lehi, still called the Band Stern (Stern Gang in English).

Born in Poland in 1907, it immigrates in Palestine in 1924 and becomes active within the Haganah. It integrates the Hebraic Université of Jerusalem and studies the traditional letters there. Stern is a student brilliance which its professors and the Senior will qualify d'" heart unique" that they were honoured to form. One will offer even a purse in order to study to him in Italy, fact exceptional in a faculty at the very at the time limited bottoms. Stern accepted but was recalled in Palestine by the chief of Irgoun, David Raziel.

It is close with beginning of the year 30 to the faction " Brit Ha'birionim " within the Left revisionist, who gathers the nationalist right under the authority of Vladimir Jabotinsky. This faction is on the right of the party, and is close to the Italian Fascisme.

He is opposed in the Thirties to the policy of the " retenue" (" Havlaga") of Haganah, which refuses the reprisals against the Arab civilians. From this opposition will be born the Irgoun between 1931 (creation of the haganah Beth then Haganah main road, future Irgoun) and 1937 (allignement of Irgoun on the line revisionist), to which it adheres, and of which he becomes active member. As from 1937, Irgoun specializes in the attacks against the Arab civilians (surroundings 250 died between 1937 and 1939).

In 1939, Great Britain publishes a " deliver blanc" , by which she announces quasi a blocking of Jewish immigration in Palestine, and creation under 10 years of a Palestinian state unit judéo-Arabic, with Arab majority. The relations between the movement Zionist in general and Great Britain are degraded then strongly.

However, after the declaration of the Second world war in September 1939, the Irgoun, is appropriate of a cease-fire with the British in the name of the fight against the Nazi S.

Stern refuses this cease-fire and leaves the rows of Irgoun then. With its partisans, it creates the Lehi (Lohamei Herut LeIsrael, " Combatants for the freedom of Israel), known also under the name of " Group Stern ". Lehi ceases the attacks anti-Arabic, and engages the armed struggle against the British. Completely rejetté by the remainder of the Yishouv, very insulated, Lehi tries a bringing together with the Nazi Germany, in the name of the difference between the enemy (the English who want to create a state with Arab majority in Palestine) and the persecutor (Germany, which would like to drive out the Jews of Europe - Stern does not believe in a genocide). In the optics of Stern, the persecutor can help with the regrouping of the Holy Land Jews, when the enemy opposes it.

After several attacks meutriers anti-English, the British police force and special services offer a price of 1000 pounds for the capture of Stern. The February 12th 1942, the British discover his hiding-place in the southern districts of Tel Aviv. A British officer kills it out of a ball after his capture.

Its died chief, his frameworks in prison, the Lehi enters in sleep until in 1943, date on which it is reorganized and takes again his armed actions against the British. New Lehi was organized around the triangle: Nathan Yellin-Mor, Yithzak Shamir and Israel Eldad.

Although its memory always is very discussed in Israel, a stamp will be published in 1978 (for the thirtieth birthday of independence) with the memory of Avraham Stern, under the government of Menahem Begin. The town of Kochav Yair, in the center of Israel is named after him and of eminent personalities such Ehud Barak and Shaul Mofaz reside there.

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