For other meanings see Beersheba (disambiguation).

Beersheba
Hebrew transcription(s)
• Hebrew	בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע
Arabic transcription(s)
• Arabic	بئر السبع
Logo
Beersheba
Coordinates: 31°14′59.18″N 34°47′58.95″E / 31.2497722°N 34.7997083°E / 31.2497722; 34.7997083Coordinates: 31°14′59.18″N 34°47′58.95″E / 31.2497722°N 34.7997083°E / 31.2497722; 34.7997083
District	South
Government
• Type	City
• Mayor	Ruvik Danilovich
Area
• Total	117,500 dunams (117.5 km2 or 45.4 sq mi)
Population (2009)[1]
• Total	194,300
Name meaning	Well of the Oath or Seven Wells(see also)
Website	http://www.beer-sheva.muni.il

Beersheba (/bɪərˈʃiːbə/; officially Be'er Sheva; Hebrew: בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע‎‎ [bəʔe̞rˈʃe̞va]; Greek: Βηρσαβεε; Latin: Bersabee; Arabic: بئر السبع‎, Bi'r as-Sab` (info); Turkish: Birüssebi) is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev", it is the seventh-largest city in Israel with a population of 194,300.^[1]

Beersheba grew in importance in the 19th century, when the Ottoman Turks built a regional police station there. The Battle of Beersheba was part of a wider British offensive in World War I aimed at breaking the Turkish defensive line from Gaza to Beersheba. In 1947, Bir Seb'a (Arabic: بيئر شيبع‎), as it was known, was envisioned as part of the Arab state in the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine. Following the declaration of Israel's independence, the Egyptian army amassed its forces in Beersheba as a strategic and logistical base. In October 1948, the city was conquered by the Israel Defense Forces.^[2]

Beersheba has grown considerably since then. A large portion of the population is made up of Jews who immigrated from Arab countries after 1948, and has been significantly boosted since 1990 by immigrants from Ethiopia and the former Soviet Union. With the influx of Russian immigrants, chess became a major sport in Beersheba. The city is now Israel's national chess center, home to more chess grandmasters than any city in the world.^[3]

Etymology[link]

There are several etymologies for the origin of the name "Beersheba": The oath of Abraham and Abimelech (well of the oath); the seven wells dug by Isaac (seven wells), though only three or four have been identified; the oath of Isaac and Abimelech (well of the oath); the seven ewes that sealed Abraham and Abimelech's oath (well of the seven).

Be'er is the Hebrew word for well; sheva could mean "seven" or "oath" (from the Hebrew word shvu'a).

History[link]

Antiquity[link]

Human settlement in the area dates from the Copper Age. The inhabitants lived in caves, crafting metal tools and raising cattle.^[4] Findings unearthed at Tel Be'er Sheva, an archaeological site a few kilometers northeast of modern day Beersheba, suggest the region has been inhabited since the 4th millennium BC.^[5] The city has been destroyed and rebuilt many times over the centuries.

Israelite era[link]

Tel Be'er Sheva

The town was founded by the Israelites during the 10th century BC, on the site of what is today referred to as Tel Be'er Sheva, after the land was conquered by King David. The ruins of the original Israelite settlement remain largely intact.

The site was probably chosen due to the abundance of water, as evidenced by the numerous wells in the area. According to the Bible, the wells were dug by Abraham and Isaac when they arrived there. The streets were laid out in a grid, with separate areas for administrative, commercial, military, and residential use. According to the Hebrew Bible, Beersheba was the southernmost city of the territories actually settled by Israelites, hence the expression "from Dan to Beersheba" to describe the whole kingdom.^[6]

Beersheba is mentioned in the Book of Genesis in connection with Abraham the Patriarch and his pact with Abimelech. Isaac built an altar in Beersheba (Genesis 26:23–33). Jacob had his dream about a stairway to heaven after leaving Beersheba. (Genesis 28:10–15 and 46:1–7). Beersheba was the territory of the tribe of Shimon and Judah (Joshua 15:28 and 19:2). The prophet Elijah took refuge in Beersheba when Jezebel ordered him killed (I Kings 19:3). The sons of the prophet Samuel were judges in Beersheba (I Samuel 8:2). Saul, Israel's first king, built a fort for his campaign against the Amalekites (I Samuel 14:48 and 15:2–9). The prophet Amos mentions the city in regard to idolatry (Amos 5:5 and 8:14).^[6] Following the Babylonian conquest and subsequent enslavement of many Israelites, the town was abandoned. After the slaves returned from Babylon, the town was resettled.

Roman and Byzantine era[link]

During the Roman and later Byzantine periods, the town served as a front-line defense against Nabatean attacks. The last inhabitants of Tel Be'er Sheva were the Byzantines, who abandoned the city during the Arab conquest of Palestine in the 7th century.

Ottoman era[link]

Beersheba, 1917

Beersheba, 1920s

The Turkish Ottomans, who had controlled Palestine since the 16th century, took no interest in Beersheba until the end of the 19th century.^[7] At the beginning of the 19th century, Beersheba was portrayed by European pilgrims as a barren stretch of land with a well and a handful of Bedouins living nearby. Towards the end of the 19th century, the Ottomans built a police station in Beersheba in order to keep the Bedouin in check.^[8] They built roads and a number of small buildings from local materials which are still standing today. A town plan was created by a Swiss and a German architect, which called for a grid street pattern,^[9] a pattern which can still be seen today in Beersheba's Old City. All houses built during that period were of one storey, and the two-storey police station towered above them. Most of the residents at the time were Arabs from Hebron and the Gaza area, although Jews also began settling in the city, and a slew of Bedouin abandoned their nomadic lives and built homes in Beersheba.^[10]

During World War I, the Turks built a military railroad from the Hejaz line to Beersheba, inaugurating the station on October 30, 1915.^[11] The celebration was attended by the Turkish army commander Jamal Pasha, along with senior government officials. The train line was active until the British Army took over the region.

British Mandate era[link]

Beersheba played an important role in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign in World War I. On October 31, 1917, three months after taking Rafah, General Allenby's troops breached the line of Turkish defense between Gaza and Beersheba.^[12] 800 soldiers of the Australian 4th and 12th Regiments of the 4th Light Horse Brigade under Brigadier General William Grant, with only horses and bayonets, charged the Turkish trenches, overran them and captured the wells of Beersheba in what has become known as the "last successful cavalry charge in British military history." On the edge of Beersheba's Old City is a Commonwealth cemetery containing the graves of Australian and British soldiers. The town also contains a memorial park dedicated to them.

Beersheba was a major administrative center during the period of the British Mandate for Palestine. A railway was constructed between Rafah and Beersheba in October 1917; it opened to the public in May 1918, serving the Negev and settlements south of Mount Hebron.^[13] In 1928, at the beginning of the tension between the Jews and the Arabs over Palestine, and wide-scale rioting which left 133 Jews dead and 339 wounded, many Jews abandoned Beersheba, although some returned occasionally. After an Arab attack on a Jewish bus in 1936, which escalated into the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine, the remaining Jews left.

State of Israel[link]

Old mosque in Remez Garden

The 1947 UN Partition Plan included Beersheba in the territory allotted to the proposed Arab state as the city's population of 4,000 was primarily Arab.^[14] The Egyptian army was stationed in Beersheba in May 1948. During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion ordered the city conquered, calling for the "conquest of Beersheba, occupation of outposts around it, [and] demolition of most of the town."^[15] Israeli Air Force bombing raids began during the night of October 18/19, 1948. The Arab residents fled en masse the next day on foot and in buses. More bombing raids followed that night, and on October 21 at 4:00 in the morning, the 8th Brigade's 89th battalion and the Negev Brigade's 7th and 9th battalions moved in, some of the troops advancing from Mishmar HaNegev junction, 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of Beersheba, others from the Turkish train station and Hatzerim. By 09:45, the Egyptian forces were surrounded and Beersheba was in Israeli hands. Around 120 Egyptian soldiers were taken prisoners, and the remaining civilians, 200 men and 150 women and children, were taken to the police fort. On October 25, the women, children, disabled, and elderly were driven by truck to the Gaza border. The Egyptian soldiers were interned in POW camps. Some men lived in the local mosque and were put to work cleaning but when it was discovered that they were supplying information to the Egyptian army, they were also deported.^[15] Looting on the part of Israeli troops occurred and was criticized by David Ben-Gurion and Dov Shafrir, the first Custodian of Absentees Property.^[15]

In the 1950s, Beersheba expanded northward. The majority of Indian Jews emigrated to the newly independent Israel after the 1948 Partition estimated to be around 20,000, and the main place for them to settle was Beersheba. Soroka Hospital opened its doors in 1960, and The Negev University, later renamed Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, was established in 1970. Egyptian president Anwar Sadat visited Beersheba in 1979.

Current development[link]

As part of its Blueprint Negev project, the Jewish National Fund is funding major redevelopment projects in Beersheba. One project is the Beersheba River Walk, a 900-acre (3.6 km²) riverfront district with green spaces, hiking trails, a 3,000-seat sports hall, a boating lake made from recycled waste water, promenades, restaurants, cafés, galleries, boat rentals, a 12,000-seat amphitheater, playgrounds, and a bridge made up of Mekorot water pipes. Four new shopping malls are planned, including a 115,000-square meter ecologically planned mall with pools for collecting rainwater and lighting generated by solar panels on the roof. It will be situated next to an 8,000-meter park with bicycle paths.^[16][17][18] In recent years, some $10.5 million has been invested in renovating Beersheba's Old City, preserving historical buildings and upgrading infrastructure.^[19]

The city is currently undergoing a major construction boom, which includes both elements of urban design such as water fountains and bridges, and environmental development such as playgrounds and parks.^[20]

Arab-Israeli conflict[link]

Iron Dome battery near Beersheba

On August 31, 2004, sixteen people were killed in two suicide bombings on buses in Beersheba for which Hamas claimed responsibility. On August 28, 2005, another suicide bomber attacked the central bus station, seriously injuring two security guards and 45 bystanders.^[21] During Operation Cast Lead, which began on December 27, 2008, Hamas fired multiple Grad rockets from Gaza into Beersheba. The rocket attacks have continued, but have only been partially effective since the introduction of the Iron Dome rocket defense system.^{[22][23][24][25]} In 2010 an Arab attacked and injured two ^[26] with an axe ^[27][28]. In 2012, a Palestinian from Jenin had been stopped before a stabbing attack ^[29][30] in a "safe house".

Geography[link]

Dry riverbed in Nahal Ashan park

Beersheba is located on the northern edge of the Negev desert 115 kilometres (71 mi) south-east of Tel Aviv and 120 kilometres (75 mi) south-west of Jerusalem. The city is located on the main route from the center and north of the country to Eilat in the far south. The Valley of Beer Sheva has been populated for thousands of years due to the presence of water which flows from the Hebron hills in the winter and is stored underground in vast quantities.^[31] The main river in Beersheba is Nahal Beersheva, a wadi which floods in the winter. The Kovshim and Katef streams are other important wadis which pass through the city. Beersheba is surrounded by a number of satellite towns, including Omer, Lehavim, and Meitar, and the Bedouin localities of Rahat, Tel as-Sabi, and Lakiya.

Climate[link]

Beersheba has an arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSh) with Mediterranean influences. The city has both characteristics of Mediterranean and desert climates. Summers are hot and dry, and winters are cool and rainy. In summer, the temperature is high in daytime and nighttime with an average high of 32.3 °C (90 °F) and an average low of 19.9 °C (68 °F). In winter, the temperature are cool and the weather is rainy and snow is very rare. Winters have an average high of 17.7 °C (64 °F) and average low of 8 °C (46 °F).

Precipitation in summer are rare, the most rainfalls come in winter between September to May, but the annually amount is low, with 204.1 millimeters (8.0 in) each year. Sandstorms, haze and fog are common especially in winter, as a result of the high humidity.

Demographics[link]

Pedestrian mall in Beersheba

This article is outdated. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. Please see the talk page for more information. (March 2012)

Beersheba had a population of 185,400 by the end of 2006,^[34] compared to 110,800 in a survey conducted 20 years earlier. In the 1990s, the population was substantially increased by a large influx of Russian and Ethiopian Jews. In 2001, the ethnic make-up of the city was 98.9% Jewish and other non-Arab, with no significant Arab population (see Population groups in Israel). In 2001, there were 86,500 males and 91,400 females living in Beersheba. The population breakdown by age was 31.8% for 19 years old or younger, 17.4% for 20–29 year olds, 19.6% for 30–44 year olds, 15.8% for 45–59 year olds, 4.0% for 60–64 year olds, and 11.4% for 65 years of age or older. The population growth rate in 2001 was 2.9%.

Many people live in Beersheba for short periods of time, e.g. while studying at the university or working at the nearby army bases. According to CBS, Beersheba had 61,016 salaried workers and 3,010 self-employed citizens in 2000. Salaried workers earned an average monthly wage of 5,223 NIS (about 1085 Euros or US $1350). Men earned an average monthly wage of NIS 6,661 (a real change of 5.2%) compared to NIS 3,760 for females (a real change of 3.9%). Self-employed persons had an average income of NIS 6,533. A total of 4,719 persons received unemployment benefits, and 26,469 persons received income supplements.

In 1982, Israel airlifted a large part of the Ethiopian Jewish community to Israel, and many settled in Beersheba. There are now approximately 10,000 Ethiopian Israelis in the city, with a community center built in the style of the thatched tukuls of Ethiopia.

Economy[link]

Negev Mall Tower

The largest employers in Beersheba are the municipality, Israel Defense Forces, Ben-Gurion University and the Soroka Medical Center. There are also a number of electronics and chemical plants including Teva Pharmaceutical Industries in and around the city. A large high-tech park is also being built near the Be'er Sheva North Railway Station.^[35] A major Israel Aerospace Industries complex is located in the main industrial zone, north of Highway 60. There are three industrial zones on the southeastern side of the city – Makhteshim, Emek Sara and Kiryat Yehudit – and a light industry zone between Kiryat Yehudit and the Old City. A high-tech park is located near Omer. A Science Park funded by the RASHI-SACTA Foundation, Beersheba Municipality and private donors was completed in 2008.^[35] The tallest buildings in the city are the towers of the Rambam Square complex. Rambam Square 2 is the tallest apartment building in Israel outside of the Gush Dan Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area.^[36]

Local government[link]

Beersheba District Court

The Beersheba municipality was plagued for many years by an ineffectual leadership, political problems and poor financial planning. Since 2005, attention has been focused on developing parks and infrastructure. A new youth center opened in 2005, and a new cultural centre opened in 2008. In 2006, after many years of financial struggle,the municipality has achieved a balanced budget.^[37] The official emblem of the municipality of Beersheba depicts an eshel (tamarisk tree), the tree planted by Abraham according to Genesis,^[38] and the observation tower connected to the municipality building.

The mayor of Beersheba is Ruvik Danilovich, who was deputy mayor under Yaakov Turner.^[39]

Educational and religious institutions[link]

Sami Shamoon College of Engineering

According to CBS, Beersheba has 81 schools and a student population of 33,623: 60 elementary schools with an enrollment of 17,211, and 39 high schools with an enrollment of 16,412. Of Beersheba's 12th graders, 52.7% earned a Bagrut matriculation certificate in 2001. The city also has several private schools and Yeshivot which cater to the religious sector. Beersheba is home to one of Israel's major universities, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev located on an urban campus in the city (Dalet neighborhood). Other schools in Beersheva include:

Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology

• open university of Israel located in the Old city^[40]
• Sami Shamoon Academic College of Engineering
• Kaye Academic College of Education
• Practical Engineering College of Beersheba (Hamichlala ha technologit shel Be'er sheva)^[41]
• A campus of the Israeli Air and Space college (Techni Be'er sheva ) ^[42]

The historic mosque in Beersheba was renovated and used as a municipal museum, as the city had no significant Arab population, but Muslim groups in the vicinity are negotiating for its reopening as a functioning mosque.^[43]

Neigborhoods[link]

Soroka Medical Center

After Israeli independence, Beersheba became a "laboratory" for Israeli architecture.^[44] Mishol Girit, a neighborhood built in the late 1950s, was the first attempt to create an alternative to the standard public housing projects in Israel. Hashatiah (lit. "the carpet"), also known as Hashekhuna ledugma ("the model neighborhood"), was hailed by architects around the world.^[44] Today, Beersheba is divided into seventeen residential neighbourhoods in addition to the Old City and Ramot, an umbrella neighborhood of 4 sub-districts. Many of the neighbourhoods are named after letters of the Hebrew alphabet, which also have numerical value, but descriptive place names have been given to some of the newer neighborhoods.

Library, Ben Gurion University of the Negev

Culture[link]

Light horse monument, Australian soldier park

Beersheba is the home base of the Israel Sinfonietta, founded in 1973. Over the years, the Sinfonietta has developed a broad repertoire of symphonic works, concerti for solo instruments and large choral productions, among them Handel's "Israel in Egypt," masses by Schubert and Mozart, Rossini's "Stabat Mater" and Vivaldi's "Gloria." World-famous artists have appeared as soloists with the Sinfonietta, including Pinhas Zuckerman, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Shlomo Mintz, Gary Karr and Paul Tortelier.^[45] In the 1970s, a memorial commemorating fallen Israeli soldiers designed by the sculptor Danny Karavan was erected on a hill north-east of the city.^[46] The Beersheba Theater opened in 1973. The Light Opera Group of the Negev, established in 1980, performs musicals in English every year.^[47] The Negev Museum reopened as an art museum, and an art and media center for young people was established. In 2009, a new tourist and information center, Gateway to the Negev, was built.^[48] Landmarks in the city include Abraham's Well and the old Turkish train station, now the focus of development plans.^[49]

Transportation[link]

Beersheba is the central transportation hub of southern Israel, served by roads, railways and air. Beersheba is connected to Tel Aviv via Highway 40, the second longest highway in Israel, which passes to the east of the city and is called the Beersheba bypass because it allows travellers from the north to go to southern locations, avoiding the more congested city center. From west to east, the city is divided by Highway 25, which connects to Ashkelon and the Gaza Strip to the northwest, and Dimona to the east. Finally, Highway 60 connects Beersheba with Jerusalem and the Shoket Junction, and goes through the West Bank. On the local level, a partial ring road surrounds the city from the north and east, and Road 406 (Rager Blvd.) goes through the city center from north to south.

Metrodan Beersheba, established in 2003, has a fleet of 90 buses and operates 19 lines in the city, most of which depart from the Beersheba Central Bus Station.^[50] These lines were formerly operated by the municipality as the 'Be'er Sheva Urban Bus Services'. Inter-city buses to and from Beersheba are operated by Egged, Egged Ta'avura and Metropoline.^[51]

Mexico Bridge from train station to Ben Gurion University

Israel Railways operates two stations in the city that form part of the railway to Beersheba: the old Be'er Sheva North University station, adjacent to Ben Gurion University and Soroka Medical Center, and the new Be'er Sheva Central station, adjacent to the central bus station. Between the two stations, the railway splits into two, and also continues to Dimona and the Dead Sea factories. An extension is planned to Eilat^[52] and Arad.

The Be'er Sheva North University station is the terminus of the line to Dimona. All stations of Israel Railways can be accessed from Beersheba using transfer stations in Tel Aviv and Lod. Currently, the railway line to Beersheba uses a slow single-track configuration with several sharp curves limiting speed. However, its alignment is being improved and the entire line converted to dual-track. The project will significantly decrease travel time from Tel Aviv and Haifa to Beersheba, at a cost of NIS 1.885 billion.^[53]

Sports[link]

Beersheba country club

Hapoel Be'er Sheva plays in the Israeli Premier League, the top tier of Israeli football, having been promoted in the 2008–2009 Liga Leumit season. The club has won the Israeli championship twice, in 1975 and 1976, as well as the State Cup in 1997. Beersheba has two other local clubs, Maccabi Be'er Sheva (based in Neve Noy) and MS Be'er Sheva (based in the north of Dalet), a continuation of the defunct Beitar Avraham Be'er Sheva. Hapoel and Maccabi both play at the Vasermil Stadium, a 14,000-capacity concrete bowl located in the Bet neighbourhood.

Beersheba has become Israel's national chess center; thanks to Soviet immigration, it is home to the largest number of chess grandmasters of any city in the world.^[54] The city hosted the World Team Chess Championship in 2005, and chess is taught in the city's kindergartens.^[55] The Israeli chess team won the silver medal at the 2008 Chess Olympiad^[56] and the bronze at the 2010 Olympiad. The chess club was founded in 1973 by Eliyahu Levant, who is still the driving spirit behind it.^[57]

The city has the second largest wrestling center (AMI wrestling school) in Israel.^{[citation needed]} The center is run by Leonid Shulman and has approximately 2,000 students most of whom are from Russian immigrant families since the origins of the club are in the Nahal Beka integration camp. Maccabi Be'er Sheva has a freestyle wrestling team, whilst Hapoel Be'er Sheva has a Greek-Romi wrestling team. In 2010 world championships by FILA in wrestling 5 medals were won by AMI students.^[58] Cricket is played under the auspices of Israel Cricket Association. Beersheba is also home to a rugby team whose senior and youth squads have won several national titles (including the recent Senior National League 2004–2005 championship).^[59] Beersheba's tennis center, which opened in 1991, features eight lighted courts, and the Be'er Sheva (Teyman) airfield is used for gliding.

Notable residents[link]

Ilan Ramon

• Aref al-Aref, Arab historian
• Orna Banai, Israeli actress, comedian, and entertainer
• Elyaniv Barda, football (soccer) player
• Zehava Ben, singer
• Avishay Braverman, professor and politician
• Anat Draigor, basketball player
• Ronit Elkabetz, actress
• Zvika Hadar, comedian and show host
• Victor Mikhalevski, chess grandmaster
• David Newman, professor and Dean of Social Science and Humanities, BGU
• Ilan Ramon, Israel's first astronaut; died in the Columbia disaster
• Yehudit Ravitz, singer
• Eli Zizov, football (soccer) player
• Ze'ev Zrizi, second mayor of Beersheba
• Almog Cohen, soccer player

Twin towns—Sister cities[link]

Beersheba is twinned with twelve other towns and cities:^[60]

See also[link]

• Battle of Beersheba (First World War)
• Beer Sheva Park, Seattle
• Map of Beersheba and surrounds in the 1940s and 1950s

References[link]

Bibliography[link]

• Thareani-Sussely, Yifat, "The 'Archaeology of the Days of Manasseh' Reconsidered in the Light of Evidence From The Beersheba Valley," Palestine Exploration Quarterly, 139,2 (2007), 69-77.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Beersheba

• Beersheba City Council
• Selection of photos from Beer-Sheva from flickr
• Ben-Gurion University
• The city of Beersheba: a tourist's guide
• Beer-Sheva – Historical article from the Catholic Encyclopaedia
• Light Horse charges again Article written by Martin Chulov, published in The Australian, November 1, 2007, the descendants of the Australian light-horsemen rode into the centre of Beersheva, re-enacting the gallant gallop of October 31, 1917
• Israel Builds Expansion and architecture of Beersheva in the 1960s and 1970s
• Blueprint for Beersheba

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Isreal Bar
Baer (center), outside the courthouse and flanked by police officers, during the time of his trial in 1961
Born	1912 Austria
Died	1966 (aged 53–54) Israel

Israel Bar (1912 – May 1966) was an Austrian-born Israeli citizen convicted of espionage. On March 31, 1961, Bar, a senior employee in the Israeli Ministry of Defense, was arrested under suspicion of espionage for the Soviet Union. A former lieutenant colonel in the IDF, Bar was a well-known military commentator and an acknowledged expert on military history, and was employed in a civilian position within the Israeli Ministry of Defense to write a book on the history of the Israeli War of Independence.^[1]

Unconfirmed Early History[link]

Bar claimed to have been born in Austria to an assimilated Jewish family, claimed that he had been active in the Austrian Social Democratic Party and claimed to have taken part in the armed conflict between the military organization of this party, the Schutzbund, and the Austrian army. Bar took pride in having later completed officer training in the Austrian military academy and for having served as an officer in the army for a certain period of time, claiming to have completed his service as a colonel serving as a brigade commander

During interrogation Bar would repeat the often told story but Isser Harel, Director of Mossad (who was also in charge of Shin Bet) calmly told him: 'You are a liar.'

'We can find no trace of your parents in Austria. If they were typical Jewish parents, as you make them out to be, then why aren't you circumcised?' 'We have checked all the records in Austria. You never fought on the barricades. You never received a doctorate, as you claim you did, nor did you ever attend the university. You did not go to the military academy because Jews were not allowed to at the time. They have checked their lists for us and your name is not there. The Schutzbund has no record of your membership either.' 'We have gone through the records of the international Brigade and your name is not there. You never fought in Spain....' 'Now tell me: who are you? We want the truth.'^[2]

Israel Bar never revealed his true identity, nor did he ever admit to have worked for the KGB.

Confirmed History[link]

Bar had obtained first-hand knowledge of both theoretical and historical military areas, which made him an expert in these issues and an acknowledged expert on military affairs, despite his lack of real field experience. He was proficient in the details of the battles, names of places, commanders, military units, a proficiency which Israel Bar used to gain credibility and military experience.

Israel Bar did immigrate to Palestine in October 1938 and was accepted to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem as a research student. At the same time he joined the Haganah organization.

Bar's publication of articles on military subjects led to his acceptance in 1940 as a permanent member of the Haganah. There, he took part in training and in planning until the outbreak of the Israeli War of Independence. With the establishment of the IDF he was appointed as one of the two assistants to the head of the Operations Division and the Deputy Chief of the General Staff as well as serving as head of the Planning Division for the Operations Division, at the rank of lieutenant colonel.

He requested discharge from the IDF in 1949, because of his failure to be promoted to a new position in the Operations Division in direct subordination to the Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces. He bitterly claimed that he was not promoted because his credibility was in question because of his connection with an opposition party, Mapam. Israel Bar was formally discharged after a leave of absence in July 1950.

Bar was politically active in Mapam during his service in the IDF. After his resignation from the IDF he began work in Mapam, as head of its security department. In this position he obtained military intelligence information about the IDF in order to keep party officials, who were in the opposition, informed, and was closely connected with the party's information department which was gathering political non-military intelligence.

During his Mapam activity Israel Bar was closely associated with Moshe Sneh, the leader of the Left Faction, a group which identified itself with the USSR, and Communism. The Prague Trials and the Moscow Doctors' Plot during the years 1952–1953 caused internal dissent within the Mapam and a split where the Left Faction resigned from Mapam and later formed Maki. In January 1953, Israel Bar chose unexpectedly not to join Sneh and temporarily retired from political activity. In 1954, to the surprise of many, he joined Mapai, the majority party led by David Ben-Gurion.

In the early fifties Israel Bar lectured on military history in various courses in the IDF. In mid-1955, he signed a civilian contract with the Israeli Ministry of Defense with the intent of writing about the events of the Israeli War of Independence. A project he was involved in right up to his arrest. In 1959 Bar was appointed head of the Department of Military History in the University of Tel Aviv.

Israel Bar was considered among the ministry's senior administrative officials as the civilian contract with the Israeli Ministry of Defense afforded him the rank of colonel. A position which allowed Israel Bar to intermittently receive various updates, which included classified material.

The dramatic change in Israel Bar's avowed political views sparked varying reactions. Some considered him to be an opportunist hoping to return to the IDF; others viewed his efforts to approach Ben-Gurion, the Defense Minister of Israel, with suspicion, considering them an alarming sign of attempted left wing influence.

Bar used his new status in the Ministry of Defense to his advantage in order to create the impression that he had a very close relationship with Ben-Gurion, and that he was amongst his confidantes and advisors. Despite his civilian status he could often be seen wearing the uniform of a lieutenant colonel. Furthermore, he had the habit of spending lunch breaks in the General Staff base, where he would meet senior officers and exchange updates and opinions.

Israel Bar presented himself as a close confidante of the Minister of Defense and so gained the trust of many of his colleagues and associates at the General Staff Base, they even considered him to be a close link to the minister, one who could promote their personal and professional interests. Some even provided him classified documents, including intelligence assessments, for consideration.

From the year 1958 Bar began to develop close connections in Europe, including Germany, France, the United Kingdom as well as other Western countries. Furthermore, he embarked on several trips to those countries, while creating the impression that he was on a government mission and thus obtaining the aid of military attachés and Ministry of Defense delegations. His meetings included the German Minister of Defence, Franz Josef Strauss, and the head of French intelligence, among others.

Despite the explicit prohibition of the head of the Mossad, Isser Harel, this had been conveyed to him by the director general of the Ministry of Defense. Ysrael Bar during a visit to Germany in 1960 met with the Chief of Federal Intelligence Service of West Germany, General Reinhard Gehlen, who was a prime target for Soviet intelligence.

Isser Harel considered it a suspicious sign when he discovered that Israel Bar had gone ahead with the meeting he had specifically prohibited. Isser Harel's suspicions, suspicions that he had long harbored against Bar, he considered as corroborated. Harel had always suspected Bar due to his close connection to Sneh, his activity in the Mapam Security Department, which seemed to have a subversive bent, and the suspicion that he could be a communist who had infiltrated Mapai in order to attain a central position and to become a Soviet-Communist agent within the establishment.

The information on Bar at that point was not enough to legally justify his removal from his position in the Ministry of Defense. Consequently Harel had three long conversations with Bar in 1955, 1956 and 1958. He was also closely monitored, with no results. Harel was not satisfied with the first conversation in 1955, when Bar was questioned about his past. In September 1956, prior to the Kadesh operation Harel had a second conversation with Bar, as a precautionary measure carried out in cases of "individuals with questionable loyalties". This conversation was also intended as a warning to such individuals, were the Soviets to attempt to recruit them, or simply as a deterrence to the formation of such connections.

Following the arrest of Aharon Cohen in 1958, on the grounds of espionage for the USSR and due to certain connections between Bar and Cohen around that time, Harel conducted another conversation with him.

No specific suspicions were raised in these three conversations; however Harel's suspicions were far from allayed.

Even after Bar's meeting with the head of the German intelligence service, he was monitored, but still there was not enough material to support the suspicions.

The Arrest[link]

In January 1961, Vladimir Sokolov, a member of the Soviet intelligence and a staff member at the Soviet Embassy, was observed carrying out secretive activity in a certain area of north Tel Aviv. Shin Bet decided to increase the surveillance of this area to a daily level.

On March 29, 1961, at approximately 08:00 P.M, the surveillance detected an unidentified individual carrying out a secret meeting with Sokolov. Surveillance of the individual's movements led to an apartment on the second floor of 67 Brandeis Street in north Tel Aviv—Israel Bar's apartment.

The following evening, on March 30, 1961, at approximately 08:00 P.M, Bar was observed walking in the area of the previous meeting, carrying a heavy briefcase. He met with Sokolov and was later seen walking without the briefcase. At 10:40 P.M he was observed walking to his apartment holding the briefcase.

In the time between these events two Soviet cars, one of which belonged to Sokolov, were observed exiting the Soviet Embassy separately, and heading in the direction of Tel Aviv. A member of the Soviet intelligence holding a briefcase emerged from one of them. Shin Bet's intelligence assessment was that the material in the briefcase had been photocopied and returned to Bar.

Israel Bar was interrogated that night and his apartment was searched. Classified documents were discovered during the search. Bar was arrested on the morning of March 31, 1961.

Bar initially denied all accusations of contact with foreign diplomats, but later on, admitted to having connections with Soviet intelligence as well as to his operator Vladimir Sokolov. The interrogation revealed that Bar's recruitment by the Soviets began in 1956, when he met Sergei Lousiev, a representative of the Soviet news agency Tass, and a known member of the Soviet intelligence, in the apartment of an Israeli journalist.

About a month later Bar was invited to Misha Eidelberg's apartment. Eidelberg was an old acquaintance from the Mapam, and a central activist in the Communist organization The Movement for Friendship with the USSR. Shortly after arriving at Eidelberg's apartment Lousiev arrived "unexpectedly" and began to discuss some "frustrations" in his press work: his lack of sources of information, the constant slandering of the USSR in the Israeli press, and finally, the fact that there was no Israeli willing to explain the Israeli point of view to the Soviets. By telling Bar this, Lousiev as much as invited him to become the Israeli spokesperson. Lousiev expressed his desire to continue meeting Bar and they decided to schedule another meeting over the phone. However, before Bar had the chance to call, he met Lousiev "coincidentally" and they scheduled another meeting, which was held in September 1956.

Bar informed the Minister of Defense's military secretary about this new acquaintance and the secretary advised him to discuss the issue with the head of the ISA Amos Manor. Bar did report the issue to the head of the ISA, during a meeting on a separate topic. Manor warned him that Lousiev was a member of the Soviet intelligence and that his intentions were far from innocent. Despite these warnings Bar met Lousiev again.

In September 1956, when he was summoned for the meeting with Isser Harel, he mentioned his acquaintance with Lousiev and was warned again regarding the continuation of his relationship with the Soviet.

His further relationship with the Soviets was, claimed Bar, at three festive occasions held at the consulates of Bulgaria, the USSR and Yugoslavia, between September 1957 and January 1958. Bar met Lousiev again and was introduced to Vasili Avdyenko, a senior member of the Soviet intelligence, stationed as head of the KGB branch in the USSR embassy.

According to Bar, the two had a serious conversation regarding political and strategic issues regarding the relations between Israel and the USSR. Avdyenko later introduced Bar to Vladimir Sokolov. He began meeting Sokolov in January 1958 and they gradually moved from semi-public meetings including intellectual exchange of ideas in pleasant surroundings, to conspirative meetings on military matters concerning Western countries and later, concerning Israel as well. Bar was subjected to a number of intelligence interrogations conducted in the Soviet intelligence facility, located in the Russian Church in Abu-Kabir. During further stages of the intelligence relationship with Bar, Sokolov demonstrated increasing interest in security matters related to Israel. He demanded and was given documents, which he photocopied.

In early 1961 Sokolov's demands became more aggressive and even threatening. He demanded information on Israel's nuclear potential and implied that Bar would never be able to sever his connections with the Soviets. According to Bar, he was shocked and began to reconsider this relationship, which had begun on a political background, but had turned into "the work of an actual mole".

He even contemplated, he claimed, turning to Shin Bet, but did not do so due to Harel's hostile approach towards him, and the harsh words between them after his meeting with the German general.

In response to pressure from the Soviet operator, Bar provided him the plans of an American army base that had been built in Turkey by an Israeli company – Solel Boneh. Sokolov appeared for his next meeting, which he had set with Bar for April 10, 1961.

On April 16, 1961, Bar's arrest became public, after which Sokolov left the country. Bar claimed in his defense that he had acted out of the hope to turn the Soviet orientation in the Middle East in Israel's favor.

Bar was tried for espionage and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. He appealed his sentence to the Israeli Supreme Court, but the court rejected his appeal, and his sentence was lengthened to 15 years imprisonment. Israel Bar died while still in prison in May 1966.

References[link]

1. ^ Yisrael Bar
2. ^ Israel Beer

• http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Beer.html