ABSTRACT
YADIN, Yigael 1917-84. Israel soldier and archaeologist. Like so many others of his generation, Yadin had two careers: one military and one civilian. In both he reached the top.
He was born in Jerusalem where his father, Eliezer SUKENIK, was professor of archaeology at the Hebrew University. Yigael, the eldest of three sons, was drawn to the same vocation, but from the age of seventeen his studies were constantly interrupted by Haganah duties. By 1944 he was operations officer of the Haganah, and returned to this post on the eve of the War of Independence. In 1949, he took part in the armistice negotiations with Egypt and Jordan. Soon after he succeeded Ya’acov Dori as chief-of-staff, with the rank of Rav Aloof (majorgeneral). During his three years in this position, the organization of the army took shape, with a small permanent force of senior officers and instructors, field units of conscripts, and reserve units that could be swiftly mobilized in an emergency.
