Chaim Herzog was born in Ireland in 1918 and raised in Belfast. His father was the Rabbi Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog, the first Chief Rabbi of Isreal. He migrated to Palestine with his family in 1935.

Herzog became involved in military activity, serving in the Haganah during the Arab revolt of 1936-38. He acquired a degree in law and in 1939 joined the British Army. He became head of intelligence in northern Germany and participated in the liberation of the concentration camps. In Israel's War of Independence (1948) he served as an officer in the battles for Latrun. Herzog headed the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) Military Intelligence Branch from 1948-50, and again in 1959-62. From 1950-54 he served as defence attache in Washington. He retired from the Isreal Defence Forces in 1962 with the rank of Major-General, and engaged in business and law.

During the 1967 Six-Day War, Herzog was the leading military commentator on Israeli radio, and afterwards became the first military governor of the West Bank.

Herzog served as Israel's Ambassador to the UN from 1975-1978, where he argued against the UN resolution equating Zionism with racism. He was elected to the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) on the Labor ticket in 1981, and served until 1983.

Chaim Herzog was chosen as the sixth President of the State of Israel in 1983 and served two terms, until 1993.

His historical writings include The Arab-Israeli Wars, War of Atonement: The Inside Story of the Yom Kippur War, Who Stands Accused? and Israel's Finest Hour.

References:
American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/biography/herzog.html, accessed 18/2/2004.
Leaflet accompanying NU 35394 and 35395.

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