Yehuda Avner
Encyclopedia
Yehuda Avner is an Israel
i former prime ministerial advisor and diplomat. He served as personal secretary and speechwriter to Israeli Prime Ministers Menachem Begin
, Yitzhak Rabin
, Shimon Peres
, Golda Meir
and Levi Eshkol
, and as Israeli Ambassador to Australia
and the United Kingdom
.
, England in 1928. He was active in the Religious-Zionist youth movement, Bnei Akiva
, and was committed to helping build the Jewish State. Upon high school graduation in 1947, he moved to Jerusalem, then part of British Mandatory Palestineto participate in the second Machon L'Madrichei Chutz La'Aretz
.
Avner fought in the Siege of Jerusalem
during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
. In 1949, he was amongst the founders of Kibbutz Lavi
, a religious kibbutz located in Israel's Galilee
region. He moved back to England to work for the Bnei Akiva
movement as National Director (Mazkir) before returning to Israel in 1954.
Levi Eshkol
and Golda Meir
, and as Advisor to Prime Ministers Yitzhak Rabin
, Menachem Begin
, and Shimon Peres
. As a top political aide, Avner was privy to the inside workings of Israel's prime minister's office, and was present for major decision-making moments related to military operations and diplomatic negotiations, including Operation Entebbe
, the signing of the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty
and the Israeli bombing of Saddam Hussien's Osirak nuclear reactor.
Avner also served in diplomatic positions at the Israeli Consulate in New York City, and the Israeli Embassy in Washington D.C. In 1983, he was appointed Ambassador to Britain and Non-resident Ambassador to the Republic of Ireland. He returned to Israel in 1988, before serving as Ambassador to Australia between 1992 and 1995.
called the book "...a sweeping tome of Israeli politics and history." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netenyahu described it as "...a fascinating account of someone who was an eye witness to many historic moments in the history of the Jewish state...provid[ing] insight into the actions of our nation’s leaders and offer[ing] important lessons for the future." The Jerusalem Post
called the book "the ultimate insider's account". In October 2011, Moriah Films, the film division of the Simon Wiesenthal Center
acquired rights to produce a documentary based on the book, and Crystal City Entertainment optioned the book for a dramatic production.
, Ramat Gan, Israel. Avner is a fellow of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
and a member of the Ambassadorial Appointments Committee. In addition, he is a member of the International Advisory Board of NGO Monitor
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i former prime ministerial advisor and diplomat. He served as personal secretary and speechwriter to Israeli Prime Ministers Menachem Begin
Menachem Begin
' was a politician, founder of Likud and the sixth Prime Minister of the State of Israel. Before independence, he was the leader of the Zionist militant group Irgun, the Revisionist breakaway from the larger Jewish paramilitary organization Haganah. He proclaimed a revolt, on 1 February 1944,...
, Yitzhak Rabin
Yitzhak Rabin
' was an Israeli politician, statesman and general. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Israel, serving two terms in office, 1974–77 and 1992 until his assassination in 1995....
, Shimon Peres
Shimon Peres
GCMG is the ninth President of the State of Israel. Peres served twice as the eighth Prime Minister of Israel and once as Interim Prime Minister, and has been a member of 12 cabinets in a political career spanning over 66 years...
, Golda Meir
Golda Meir
Golda Meir ; May 3, 1898 – December 8, 1978) was a teacher, kibbutznik and politician who became the fourth Prime Minister of the State of Israel....
and Levi Eshkol
Levi Eshkol
' served as the third Prime Minister of Israel from 1963 until his death from a heart attack in 1969. He was the first Israeli Prime Minister to die in office.-Biography:...
, and as Israeli Ambassador to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Early Years
Yehuda Avner (originally Haffner) was born in ManchesterManchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England in 1928. He was active in the Religious-Zionist youth movement, Bnei Akiva
Bnei Akiva
Bnei Akiva is the largest religious Zionist youth movement in the world, with over 125,000 members in 37 countries. It was established in Mandate Palestine in 1929.-History:...
, and was committed to helping build the Jewish State. Upon high school graduation in 1947, he moved to Jerusalem, then part of British Mandatory Palestineto participate in the second Machon L'Madrichei Chutz La'Aretz
Machon L'Madrichei Chutz La'Aretz
Machon L'Madrichei Chutz La'Aretz is a young leadership program in Israel for high school graduates from all over the world...
.
Avner fought in the Siege of Jerusalem
Siege of Jerusalem (1948)
The Battle for Jerusalem occurred from 30 November 1947 to 11 June 1948 when Jewish and Arab population of Mandatory Palestine and later Israeli and Jordanian armies fought for the control of the city....
during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
1948 Arab-Israeli War
The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...
. In 1949, he was amongst the founders of Kibbutz Lavi
Lavi
Lavi is a kibbutz in the Lower Galilee area of Israel. It is a member of the Religious Kibbutz Movement.Located 310 meters above sea level and 10 minutes from Tiberias, it falls under the jurisdiction of Lower Galilee Regional Council.-History:...
, a religious kibbutz located in Israel's Galilee
Galilee
Galilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
region. He moved back to England to work for the Bnei Akiva
Bnei Akiva
Bnei Akiva is the largest religious Zionist youth movement in the world, with over 125,000 members in 37 countries. It was established in Mandate Palestine in 1929.-History:...
movement as National Director (Mazkir) before returning to Israel in 1954.
Professional Life
Avner moved to Jerusalem in 1956 and joined the Israeli Foreign Service in 1958. For the next 25 years, he was seconded to the Prime Minister's office and worked for five Israeli prime ministers: as Speechwriter and Secretary to Prime MinistersPrime Minister of Israel
The Prime Minister of Israel is the head of the Israeli government and the most powerful political figure in Israel . The prime minister is the country's chief executive. The official residence of the prime minister, Beit Rosh Hamemshala is in Jerusalem...
Levi Eshkol
Levi Eshkol
' served as the third Prime Minister of Israel from 1963 until his death from a heart attack in 1969. He was the first Israeli Prime Minister to die in office.-Biography:...
and Golda Meir
Golda Meir
Golda Meir ; May 3, 1898 – December 8, 1978) was a teacher, kibbutznik and politician who became the fourth Prime Minister of the State of Israel....
, and as Advisor to Prime Ministers Yitzhak Rabin
Yitzhak Rabin
' was an Israeli politician, statesman and general. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Israel, serving two terms in office, 1974–77 and 1992 until his assassination in 1995....
, Menachem Begin
Menachem Begin
' was a politician, founder of Likud and the sixth Prime Minister of the State of Israel. Before independence, he was the leader of the Zionist militant group Irgun, the Revisionist breakaway from the larger Jewish paramilitary organization Haganah. He proclaimed a revolt, on 1 February 1944,...
, and Shimon Peres
Shimon Peres
GCMG is the ninth President of the State of Israel. Peres served twice as the eighth Prime Minister of Israel and once as Interim Prime Minister, and has been a member of 12 cabinets in a political career spanning over 66 years...
. As a top political aide, Avner was privy to the inside workings of Israel's prime minister's office, and was present for major decision-making moments related to military operations and diplomatic negotiations, including Operation Entebbe
Operation Entebbe
Operation Entebbe was a counter-terrorist hostage-rescue mission carried out by the Special Forces of the Israel Defense Forces at Entebbe Airport in Uganda on 4 July 1976. A week earlier, on 27 June, an Air France plane with 248 passengers was hijacked by Palestinian and German terrorists and...
, the signing of the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty
Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty
The 1979 Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty was signed in Washington, D.C. on the 26th of March 1979, following the 1978 Camp David Accords, which were signed by Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, and were witnessed by United States President Jimmy Carter.The peace...
and the Israeli bombing of Saddam Hussien's Osirak nuclear reactor.
Avner also served in diplomatic positions at the Israeli Consulate in New York City, and the Israeli Embassy in Washington D.C. In 1983, he was appointed Ambassador to Britain and Non-resident Ambassador to the Republic of Ireland. He returned to Israel in 1988, before serving as Ambassador to Australia between 1992 and 1995.
Published Work
In 1992, Avner, together with photographer Gemma Levine, published The Young Inheritors: A Portrait of Israel's Children. In 2010, he authored The Prime Ministers: An Intimate Narrative of Israeli Leadership, in which he shares his first-hand experiences working with Israel's political leaders. US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham ClintonHillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...
called the book "...a sweeping tome of Israeli politics and history." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netenyahu described it as "...a fascinating account of someone who was an eye witness to many historic moments in the history of the Jewish state...provid[ing] insight into the actions of our nation’s leaders and offer[ing] important lessons for the future." The Jerusalem Post
The Jerusalem Post
The Jerusalem Post is an Israeli daily English-language broadsheet newspaper, founded on December 1, 1932 by Gershon Agron as The Palestine Post. The daily readership numbers do not approach those of the major Hebrew newspapers....
called the book "the ultimate insider's account". In October 2011, Moriah Films, the film division of the Simon Wiesenthal Center
Simon Wiesenthal Center
The Simon Wiesenthal Center , with headquarters in Los Angeles, California, was established in 1977 and named for Simon Wiesenthal, the Nazi hunter. According to its mission statement, it is "an international Jewish human rights organization dedicated to repairing the world one step at a time...
acquired rights to produce a documentary based on the book, and Crystal City Entertainment optioned the book for a dramatic production.
Honors
In 1995, the Yehuda Avner Chair in Religion and Politics was established at Bar-Ilan UniversityBar-Ilan University
Bar-Ilan University is a university in Ramat Gan of the Tel Aviv District, Israel.Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is now Israel's second-largest academic institution. It has nearly 26,800 students and 1,350 faculty members...
, Ramat Gan, Israel. Avner is a fellow of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs is a public policy think tank devoted to research and analysis of critical issues facing the Middle East. The center is located in Jerusalem, Israel...
and a member of the Ambassadorial Appointments Committee. In addition, he is a member of the International Advisory Board of NGO Monitor
NGO Monitor
NGO Monitor is a non-governmental organization based in Jerusalem, Israel whose stated aim is to generate and distribute critical analysis and reports on the output of the international NGO community for the benefit of government policy makers, journalists, philanthropic organizations and the...
External links
- www.yehudaavner.com The official website of Yehuda Avner
- www.tobypress.com The Toby Press website
- www.jpost.com The Jerusalem Post interview
- www.bloomberg.com Bloomberg News article
- www.tabletmag.com Tablet interview
- www.thejewishweek.com The Jewish Week interview