Moshe Nativ ( he, משה נתיב; born Moise Vegh; June 22, 1932 – September 20, 2008) was Israel Defense Forces

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

and former head of the Manpower Directorate.

Biography

Nativ was born as Moise Vegh in 1932 in a Petrova, a small village in central

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

, Romania. His parents, Tzila and Yitzchak Vegh ( he, יצחק וצילה וֵג), were Orthodox Jews. At the age of 3 his family moved to Botoșani. At the age of 14, inspired by the

Zionist Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after '' Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...

movement, Native ran away from home and immigrated to Israel. He fulfilled his plan through the

Youth Aliyah Youth Aliyah (Hebrew: עלית הנוער, ''Aliyat Hano'ar'', German: Jugend-Alijah, Youth Immigration) is a Jewish organization that rescued thousands of Jewish children from the Nazis during the Third Reich. Youth Aliyah arranged for their r ...

in 1946. In 1951, he was joined by his brother and parents. In 1949 he enlisted to the

Israeli Defense Forces Israeli may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the State of Israel * Israelis, citizens or permanent residents of the State of Israel * Modern Hebrew, a language * ''Israeli'' (newspaper), published from 2006 to 2008 * Guni Israeli (b ...

. He served in various capacities in the Armored Corps including: Operations officer of the 7th Brigade, Tank company commander, and Operations officer for the Armored Corps. During the

Six-Day War The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab states (primarily Egypt, Syria, and Jordan) from 5 to 10 Ju ...

he acted as the State adjutant general under the command of

Israel Tal Israel Tal ( he, ישראל טל, September 13, 1924, – September 8, 2010), also known as Talik (Hebrew: טליק), was an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) general known for his knowledge of tank warfare and for leading the development of Israel's M ...

. During the

Yom Kippur War The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was an armed conflict fought from October 6 to 25, 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by E ...

Nativ served as the assistant chief armored corps officer. After the war, Native was transferred to the manpower division of the IDF. He served as the head of the division and later as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel from 1975 to 1978. In 1978 he was appointed the head of the Manpower Directorate, a position he held until 1983. During his service, he completed his studies at the National Security College. He received his bachelor's degree from Tel Aviv University.

Later years

After his release from service, Native became the CEO of Hevrat HaOvdim. Native later served as the Director General of the

Jewish Agency for Israel The Jewish Agency for Israel ( he, הסוכנות היהודית לארץ ישראל, translit=HaSochnut HaYehudit L'Eretz Yisra'el) formerly known as The Jewish Agency for Palestine, is the largest Jewish non-profit organization in the world. ...

. In his later years Native served in many public offices including the president of the Council for a Beautiful Israel, chairman of the board of Gymnasia Herzliya, and the director of IAI. Native died on September 20, 2008; he was survived by his wife, three children, and four grandchildren.

References

1932 births 2008 deaths Israeli generals Romanian emigrants to Israel Tel Aviv University alumni Burials at Kiryat Shaul Cemetery {{Israel-mil-bio-stub