Yaakov Banai ( he, יעקב בנאי) born Yaakov Tunkel, Alias Mazal ( he, מזל; March 30, 1920 – January 7, 2009) served as the commander of the
Lehi movement's combat unit. Banai was a senior Lehi member who masterminded numerous military encounters against British and Arab targets during the Mandate period and the
1947–1949 Palestine war
The 1948 Palestine war was fought in the territory of what had been, at the start of the war, British-ruled Mandatory Palestine. It is known in Israel as the War of Independence ( he, מלחמת העצמאות, ''Milkhemet Ha'Atzma'ut'') and ...
.
Early life
Yaakov Banai (Tunkel) was born on March 20, 1920, in
Baranowicze
Baranavichy ( ; be, Бара́навічы, Łacinka: , ; russian: Бара́новичи; yi, באַראַנאָוויטש; pl, Baranowicze) is a city in the Brest Region of western Belarus, with a population (as of 2019) of 179,000. It is no ...
,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
(now Belarus). He was the third child of four children. His father was Shraga (Feivel) Tunkel and his mother Brakha née Sokolovsky. The family owned a barber shop and his father served as the head of the town's volunteer fire department. His father was the first cousin of
Yosef Tunkel, the Yiddish humorist known as Der Tunkeler. Both of his parents and two of his siblings perished in the
Holocaust
The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
.
As a youth, Banai was a member of
Betar, the
Revisionist Zionist
Revisionist Zionism is an ideology developed by Ze'ev Jabotinsky, who advocated a "revision" of the " practical Zionism" of David Ben-Gurion and Chaim Weizmann which was focused on the settling of ''Eretz Yisrael'' ( Land of Israel) by independe ...
youth movement and was a founding member of the
Irgun
Irgun • Etzel
, image = Irgun.svg , image_size = 200px
, caption = Irgun emblem. The map shows both Mandatory Palestine and the Emirate of Transjordan, which the Irgun claimed in its entirety for a future Jewish state. The acronym "Etzel" i ...
in Poland and leader of the Eastern Poland branch of the party. He graduated from the state
Gymnasium high school in 1938 and studied law for one year at
Vilnius University
Vilnius University ( lt, Vilniaus universitetas) is a public research university, oldest in the Baltic states and in Northern Europe outside the United Kingdom (or 6th overall following foundations of Oxford, Cambridge, St. Andrews, Glasgow and ...
(1939–1940). In 1941, following the Soviet invasion and shortly before the German invasion of
Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
, Banai obtained a
Sugihara visa and made his way to
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
via
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
with other members of the Betar.
Combat operations
On his way to Israel he was informed of the internal split within the
Irgun
Irgun • Etzel
, image = Irgun.svg , image_size = 200px
, caption = Irgun emblem. The map shows both Mandatory Palestine and the Emirate of Transjordan, which the Irgun claimed in its entirety for a future Jewish state. The acronym "Etzel" i ...
and chose to join forces with
Abraham Stern (Yair) to help form the Lehi. Once in Israel he was ordered to distance himself from
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
to avoid the attention of the authorities and he enlisted as a watchman in the
Jezreel Valley
The Jezreel Valley (from the he, עמק יזרעאל, translit. ''ʿĒmeq Yīzrəʿēʿl''), or Marj Ibn Amir ( ar, مرج ابن عامر), also known as the Valley of Megiddo, is a large fertile plain and inland valley in the Northern Distr ...
where he commenced forming a local branch of the Lehi.
In early 1943 he relocated to
Haifa
Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...
where he enlisted members, among whom was
Eliahu Hakim
Eliyahu Hakim ( he, אליהו חכים; January 2, 1925 – March 22, 1945) was a Lehi member, known for taking part in the 1944 assassination of Lord Moyne, the British Minister Resident in the Middle East.
Biography
Born in Beirut, Manda ...
(whose alias was Benny). Hakim was later hanged for carrying out the assassination of
Lord Moyne
Walter Edward Guinness, 1st Baron Moyne, DSO & Bar, PC (29 March 1880 – 6 November 1944), was an Anglo-Irish politician and businessman. He served as the British minister of state in the Middle East until November 1944, when he was assass ...
in Cairo. In Haifa, Banai received the alias Mazal (meaning "Luck") after he managed to successfully evade capture during a surprise inspection conducted by British detectives. After a shoot-out with British detectives, he moved to Tel Aviv, where he joined the executive committee of Lehi. He changed his last name to Banai in order to confuse British detectives who were on the look out for a "Polish Jew".
Banai participated in a long list of combat missions including the preparations and attack on the British high commissioner in Palestine, Sir
Harold MacMichael
Sir Harold Alfred MacMichael (15 October 1882 – 19 September 1969) was a British colonial administrator who served as High Commissioner for Palestine.
Early service
Educated at Bedford School, MacMichael graduated with a first from Magdalene ...
. This attack was claimed to be retaliation for the
Struma disaster. He also took part in the assassination of
Thomas Wilkin, the head of the
Criminal Investigation Department
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is the branch of a police force to which most plainclothes detectives belong in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth nations. A force's CID is distinct from its Special Branch (though officers of b ...
(CID) Jewish Affairs Bureau. Wilkin was assassinated for his involvement in the killing of Abraham Stern. In his memoirs, Banai recalled that the order to assassinate Wilkin came directly from
Yitzhak Shamir
Yitzhak Shamir ( he, יצחק שמיר, ; born Yitzhak Yezernitsky; October 22, 1915 – June 30, 2012) was an Israeli politician and the seventh Prime Minister of Israel, serving two terms, 1983–1984 and 1986–1992. Before the establishment ...
, the head of Lehi who eventually became the Prime Minister of Israel.
Banai was appointed to head the Lehi's combat forces which was renamed under him as the "Fighting Brigade". He masterminded and participated in combat operations such as attacks on military units and police, demolition of bridges, an attempt to free jailed prisoners in
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
that was coordinated with the Irgun, the capture of weapons from a military base in
Holon
Holon ( he, חוֹלוֹן ) is a city on the central coastal strip of Israel, south of Tel Aviv. Holon is part of the metropolitan Gush Dan area. In it had a population of . Holon has the second-largest industrial zone in Israel, after Haifa. ...
and a British military warehouse on
HaYarkon Street
HaYarkon Street is a major street which runs roughly parallel with the coastline in Tel Aviv, Israel, carrying traffic north and south.
The Opera Tower on HaYarkon Street replaces a building from 1945 that housed the Kessem Cinema. In 1948, it b ...
in Tel Aviv.
Following Shamir's imprisonment, Banai remained in the underground from where he oversaw all of Lehi's department's and branches in Israel. Under his direction, dozens of combat operations were planned and carried out, a portion of them as part of the
Jewish Resistance Movement
The Jewish Resistance Movement ( he, תנועת המרי העברי, ''Tnu'at HaMeri HaIvri'', literally ''Hebrew Rebellion Movement''), also called the United Resistance Movement (URM), was an alliance of the Zionist paramilitary organizations H ...
during which the three underground movements (
Haganah
Haganah ( he, הַהֲגָנָה, lit. ''The Defence'') was the main Zionist paramilitary organization of the Jewish population ("Yishuv") in Mandatory Palestine between 1920 and its disestablishment in 1948, when it became the core of the ...
, Irgun, Lehi) joined forces against the British. During this period, the railyards near the Haifa port were attacked, the
Sarona military headquarters (today
HaKirya
HaKirya, or The Kirya ( he, הַקִּרְיָה, ''lit.'' The Campus), is an area in central Tel Aviv, consisting of an urban military base north of Kaplan Street, and a civilian area south of it.
HaKirya contains the Tel Aviv District's govern ...
in Tel Aviv) was bombed, Sarafand (today
Tzrifin
Tzrifin ( he, צְרִיפִין) is an area in Gush Dan (Dan Region) in central Israel, located on the eastern side of Rishon LeZion and including parts of Be'er Ya'akov. The area proper is defined as an 'area without jurisdiction' between the t ...
military base) was attacked, the CID offices in Haifa were attacked, airplanes at the
Kfar Sirkin
Kfar Sirkin or Kefar Syrkin ( he, כְּפַר סִירְקִין) is a moshav in central Israel. Located south-east of Petah Tikva, it falls under the jurisdiction of Drom HaSharon Regional Council. In it had a population of .
History
Kfar Sirk ...
air base were destroyed, hospitalized prisoners were freed as were female prisoners from the
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 ...
police station, and he participated in a bank robbery at the Tel Aviv branch of the
Barclays
Barclays () is a British multinational universal bank, headquartered in London, England. Barclays operates as two divisions, Barclays UK and Barclays International, supported by a service company, Barclays Execution Services.
Barclays traces ...
Bank. Banai pioneered the use of explosive vehicles, which were used against the CID offices in Haifa, the Sarona military headquarters and the
Jaffa
Jaffa, in Hebrew Yafo ( he, יָפוֹ, ) and in Arabic Yafa ( ar, يَافَا) and also called Japho or Joppa, the southern and oldest part of Tel Aviv-Yafo, is an ancient port city in Israel. Jaffa is known for its association with the b ...
Sarai.
Service in the Israel Defense Forces
Following the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
decision on the
partition plan, Lehi's turned its attention to the confrontation with the Arabs. During this period Banai participated in numerous combat operations that included the bombing of homes in Arab villages, the bombing of the Sarai in Jaffa (the Arab gathering point for attacks on Tel Aviv), the bombing of the Arab gangs' headquarters in Haifa, and an attempt to bomb the Arab headquarters in
Nablus
Nablus ( ; ar, نابلس, Nābulus ; he, שכם, Šəḵem, ISO 259-3: ; Samaritan Hebrew: , romanized: ; el, Νεάπολις, Νeápolis) is a Palestinian city in the West Bank, located approximately north of Jerusalem, with a populati ...
.
With the formation of the
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...
, Banai enlisted as a captain in the
8th Brigade, commanded the Lehi Battalion and served as the liaison officer between the army's Lehi units and Brigadier
Yitzhak Sadeh
Yitzhak Sadeh ( he, יצחק שדה, born Izaak Landoberg, August 10, 1890 – August 20, 1952), was the commander of the Palmach and one of the founders of the Israel Defense Forces at the time of the establishment of the State of Israel. ...
, the commander of the
Palmach
The Palmach (Hebrew: , acronym for , ''Plugot Maḥatz'', "Strike Companies") was the elite fighting force of the Haganah, the underground army of the Yishuv (Jewish community) during the period of the British Mandate for Palestine. The Palmach ...
. Banai quickly rose to become the battalion's Chief of Staff. Following the war, he served for ten years as a battalion commander in charge of the Dan district in the Civil Defense Forces.
Post-military career
Banai authored the book ''Hayalim Almonim'' ( he, חיילים אלמונים, "Anonymous Soldiers") based on his experiences in the Lehi. The book is considered the most comprehensive account of the underground movement. In 2006 he edited ''Mekorot LeToldot Tnu'at Lohmei Herut Israel (Lehi)'' ( he, מקורות לתולדות תנועת לוחמי חרות ישראל, "Sources on the History of the Lehi Movement", published by Yair Publishing House).
Banai frequently lectured to soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces, in schools, to youth groups, at community centers, and throughout the country. Banai worked for the
Egged bus company and was a member of its Secretariat as well as a manager. Prior to his retirement in 1997, he served as the director of an assisted living facility in
Ramat Gan
Ramat Gan ( he, רָמַת גַּן or , ) is a city in the Tel Aviv District of Israel, located east of the municipality of Tel Aviv and part of the Tel Aviv metropolitan area. It is home to one of the world's major diamond exchanges, and many ...
. In 2000, he was awarded the key to the city of Ramat Gan and was the Chairman of an NGO that worked to preserve the historical legacy of the Lehi.
Personal life
Banai married Hanna Kruger in 1945. They had two children—a son named Shraga and a daughter named Nili.
References
Further reading
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WorldCat
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Banai, Yaakov
1920 births
2009 deaths
Betar members
Lehi (militant group)
Belarusian Jews
Israeli Jews
Polish emigrants to Mandatory Palestine
Israeli people of Belarusian-Jewish descent
Zionists
People from Baranavichy
Vilnius University alumni
Sugihara's Jews