Shlomo Erell (20 November 1920 – 20 November 2018) was a
Major General in the
IDF, and the seventh Commander of the
Israeli Navy.
Early life and family
Erell was born in
Poland in 1920 and was taken to
Mandate Palestine by his parents in 1926. His family moved to
Petah Tikva
Petah Tikva ( he, פֶּתַח תִּקְוָה, , ), also known as ''Em HaMoshavot'' (), is a city in the Central District (Israel), Central District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv. It was founded in 1878, mainly by Haredi Judaism, Haredi Jews of ...
, but eventually settled in
Tel Aviv. In his youth, he was member of the
Betar
The Betar Movement ( he, תנועת בית"ר), also spelled Beitar (), is a Revisionist Zionist youth movement founded in 1923 in Riga, Latvia, by Vladimir (Ze'ev) Jabotinsky. Chapters sprang up across Europe, even during World War II. After t ...
youth movement.
Career
With the outbreak of
World War II, Erell joined the British merchant marine. In January 1941, his ship was sunk by a torpedo from a German
U-boat. Erell was rescued and after recuperating, he returned to the navy. After the war he was discharged from the Navy at the rank of
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
. With the outbreak of the
1948 Arab–Israeli War
The 1948 (or First) Arab–Israeli War was the second and final stage of the 1948 Palestine war. It formally began following the end of the British Mandate for Palestine at midnight on 14 May 1948; the Israeli Declaration of Independence had ...
Shlomo Erell joined the
Israeli Navy and he became the captain of the Israeli Naval vessel ''Palmach''. The ''Palmach'' was credited with many operations in the
Sinai
Sinai commonly refers to:
* Sinai Peninsula, Egypt
* Mount Sinai, a mountain in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt
* Biblical Mount Sinai, the site in the Bible where Moses received the Law of God
Sinai may also refer to:
* Sinai, South Dakota, a place ...
and in
Lebanon.
After the war, Erell continued as an
IDF officer. He held many posts including being the IDF military attaché in the Israeli embassy in
Italy, and commander of the Israeli Navy's missile ships. In January 1966, Erell was promoted to the rank of
Aluf (
Major General) and became the Commander of the Israeli Navy. In 1968, he resigned from his posts as Commander of the Israeli Navy and he retired from the IDF.
After retiring, Erell received a master's degree in administration from
Columbia University. In the 1970s, he became a member of the
Likud party and from time to time he was brought in by Israeli leaders as an advisor of Naval issues.
Death and legacy
Erell died on 20 November 2018, on his 98th birthday.
Published works
* Erell, Shlomo (2000), ''Diplomacy in the Depths of the Sea''. Ma'ariv Publishing.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Erell, Shlomo
1920 births
2018 deaths
Polish emigrants to Mandatory Palestine
Israeli Navy generals
Columbia Business School alumni
Burials at Kiryat Shaul Cemetery
Military personnel from Łódź