Asher Ben-Natan
Asher Ben-Natan | |
|---|---|
אשר בן נתן | |
 | |
| Director General of the Ministry of Defense | |
| In office 1959–1965 | |
| Appointed by | David Ben-Gurion |
| Preceded by | Shimon Peres |
| Succeeded by | Moshe Kasti |
| Israeli Ambassador to Germany | |
| In office 1965–1970 | |
| Appointed by | Golda Meir |
| Preceded by | Post established |
| Succeeded by | Eliashiv Ben-Horin |
| Israeli Ambassador to France | |
| In office 1970–1974 | |
| Appointed by | Abba Eban |
| Preceded by | Walter Eytan |
| Succeeded by | Mordechai Gazit |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Arthur Piernikartz February 15, 1921 Austria |
| Died | June 17, 2014 |
| Spouse | Erika |
| Parent | Natan Piernikartz |
Asher Ben-Natan (Hebrew: אשר בן נתן; February 15, 1921 – June 17, 2014) was an Israeli diplomat and a key figure in the country's defense and diplomacy fields. Ben-Natan led the search for Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann, who was captured in 1960.[1] He became the Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Defense from 1959 until 1965.[1] Ben-Natan then served as the first Israeli Ambassador to Germany (then West Germany) from August 1965 until 1970.[2][1] Ben-Natan was then appointed as Israel's Ambassador to France from 1970 until his retirement in 1974.[1]
Asher Ben-Natan was born Arthur Piernikartz in Vienna, Austria, on February 15, 1921.[1] His father, Natan Piernikartz, operated a clothing business in the Austrian capital.[1] He attended a Hebrew High School and was a member of the Young Macabbi.[1] His father bought five-acres of land in Mandatory Palestine in 1934 in response to the emergence of Nazi Germany and the growth of Antisemitism.[1] The family drew up plans to flee to Palestine in 1938 following the Anschluss of Austria. Asher Ben-Natan fled Austria first. He boarded a Panamanian-registered ship in Piraeus, Greece, from which he sailed to Palestine.[1] The ship dropped the passengers off at Tantura, where he swam to the beach.[1] He found work at a kibbutz and changed his name to Asher Ben-Natan in honor of his father.[1] His parents and sister arrived in Palestine from Austria a few months after his own arrival. Asher Ben-Natan married his wife Erika in 1940.
In 1978, he unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Tel Aviv.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Asher Ben-Natan obituary: Asher Ben-Natan was an Israeli diplomat who led the hunt for Adolf Eichmann and built bridges with post-war Germany". The Daily Telegraph. 2014-07-13. Retrieved 2014-07-15.
- ^ Cashman, Greer Fay (2014-06-19). "Israel's first envoy to Germany dies at 93". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2014-07-15.
- ^ "רשומות ילקוט הפרסומים" (PDF). www.nevo.co.il. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Asher Ben-Natan at Wikimedia Commons
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