Rafael Vardi (Also spelled Raphael Vardi; he, רפאל ורדי; 1922 – 25 December 2016) 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. Vardi was also the
Chief Military Police Officer from 1960 to 1962.
Biography
Born in
Łódź, Poland, Vardi immigrated to Israel in 1932. He attended the
Gymnasia Balfour Ironi Alef High School ( he, תיכון עירוני א'), previously Gymnasia Balfour (), is a notable high school located in Tel Aviv, Israel. Also known as Aleph High School of Arts Tel Aviv-Yafo.
History
Gymnasia Balfour
The Gymnasia Balf ...
in Tel Aviv along with
Shimon Peres.
[ The two met in seventh grade after the Peres' family arrived from Poland.] At 16, Vardi enlisted into the Haganah serving as a battalion commander of the Givati Brigade during the 1947–1949 Palestine war. Vardi later served as the Head of the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Deputy Commander of the Golani Brigade (1952-1953), and as the Tel Aviv District Commander.
During the Sinai War
The Suez Crisis, or the Second Arab–Israeli war, also called the Tripartite Aggression ( ar, العدوان الثلاثي, Al-ʿUdwān aṯ-Ṯulāṯiyy) in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel,Also known as the Suez War or 1956 Wa ...
, Vardi served as the Deputy Commander of the Reserve Division. Between 1957 and 1960, Vardi served as a Military attaché in Burma
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
and Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
. From 1960 until 1962 he served as the Chief Military Police Officer. Vardi later served as an instructor in the National Security College from 1962 until 1967. During that time, Vardi received his Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...
from the School of Law and Economics. In 1966 he became a lawyer.
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 ...
, Vardi served the Jerusalem District Commander. After the war he became the Commander of the Judea and Samaria Area
The Judea and Samaria Area ( he, אֵזוֹר יְהוּדָה וְשׁוֹמְרוֹן, translit=Ezor Yehuda VeShomron; ar, يهودا والسامرة, translit=Yahūda wa-s-Sāmara) is an administrative division of Israel. It encompasses th ...
. He received a master's degree
A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice. in law from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In July 1968 Vardi became one of the first military personnel to become Brigadier general
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
in the IDF. In 1974 he was appointed Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories
The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) is a unit in the Israeli Ministry of Defense that engages in coordinating civilian issues between the Government of Israel, the Israel Defense Forces, international organizati ...
. In 1976 Vardi was appointed head of the Manpower Directorate, a position he held until 1978. He joined the Defense Establishment Comptroller Unit Defense Establishment Comptroller Unit ( he, יחידת מבקר מערכת הביטחון) is an Israel Defense Forces unit which supervises and oversees the fitness, preparedness, and legality of the Israeli Security Forces' activities, in all its ...
in 1980. Vardi left the unit after the appointment of Ariel Sharon to the Minister of Defense in 1981. In August 1983, Vardi was appointed Director General of the State Comptroller of Israel
The State Comptroller of Israel ( he, מבקר המדינה ''Mevaker HaMedina'', ar, مراقب الدولة, literally: ''Critic of State'') inspects, reviews, and audits the policies and operations of the government of the State of Israel. Th ...
. Vardi resigned in 1985 after a disagreement with Itzchak Tonic.
Following the recommendations of the Shamgar Commission, which assessed the bodies responsible for the safety and welfare of the Prime Minister, Vardi was appointed head of staff of monitoring and control in charge of implementing the new security measures designed to improve the security and efficiency.
In 1999, Prime Minister Ehud Barak appointed Vardi to investigate the functioning of the Broadcasting Authority
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves), in a one-to-many model. Broadcasting began wi ...
. Vardi published a report to the prime minister, warning about the dysfunctionality of the organization. The report calls for a redefinition of the roles of the Broadcasting Authority. The report recommended new legislation to completely separate the public management sector from the administrative sector.
Vardi later headed the committee on security issues which included the Liaison Bureau, the IDF Fund, the Rehabilitation Department of the Ministry of Defense
{{unsourced, date=February 2021
A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in state ...
, The Israel Defense Forces and Defense Establishment Archives, and the Commission of Inquiry on the subject of interrogation and torture of Iran–Contra affair
The Iran–Contra affair ( fa, ماجرای ایران-کنترا, es, Caso Irán–Contra), often referred to as the Iran–Contra scandal, the McFarlane affair (in Iran), or simply Iran–Contra, was a political scandal in the United States ...
.
He was married to Rinah Vardi ( he, רנה ורדי). They had a daughter (Yael), and two sons: Tal Vardi, who served as an officer in the IDF Paratroopers reconnaissance unit; and Michael Vardi ( he, מיכאל ורדי), who served as an officer in the Armored Corps in 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 ...
; where he was killed in a battle. He received the Medal of Courage
The Medal of Courage ( he, עיטור העוז, ''Itur HaOz'') is an Israeli military decoration. The medal is awarded for carrying out acts of gallantry at the risk of life, during combat duty. The medal was established in 1970 (though it has be ...
posthumously.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vardi, Rafael
1922 births
2016 deaths
Polish emigrants to Mandatory Palestine
Israeli people of Polish-Jewish descent
Israeli generals
Haganah members
Burials at Kiryat Shaul Cemetery