David Raziel

Early Life

David Raziel was born on November 19, 1910, in Smorgon, a town in the Vilnius region of the Russian Empire (now in Belarus). He was a member of a rabbinical family and the son of Rabbi Yehuda Leib Gordin and his wife. His father was a Hebrew educator who immigrated to Israel with his family in 1914, following an invitation to teach at a school in Tel Aviv.

Immigration to Palestine

In 1914, Raziel's family moved to Palestine, where they settled in the city of Tel Aviv. During World War I, their family was exiled to Egypt by the Turks, along with all Russian Jewish subjects living in the region. After the war, they returned to Russia and eventually made their way back to Palestine in 1923.

Education and Military Career

Raziel completed his studies at a Hebrew school in Tel Aviv in 1928. He then joined the Haganah, an underground Jewish military organization, where he rose through the ranks. In 1938, he became the commander-in-chief of the Irgun Tzwai Le'umi (Irgun), a Zionist paramilitary group.

Death

David Raziel was killed on May 20, 1941, during a bombing mission in Iraq. He was 30 years old at the time of his death.

Legacy

Raziel is remembered as one of the main founders of the Irgun and its fourth Commander-in-Chief. His leadership played a significant role in the organization's efforts to establish a Jewish state in Palestine during the British Mandate period.