Moshe Levy | |
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| Born | 1936 Tel Aviv,Mandatory Palestine |
| Died | January 8, 2008 Afula,Israel |
| Allegiance |  Israel |
| Service |  Israel Defense Forces |
| Years of service | 1954–1987 |
| Rank |  Rav Aluf (Chief of Staff; highest rank) |
| Signature |  |
Moshe Levy (Hebrew:משה לוי; April 18, 1936 – January 8, 2008[1]) was an Israeli military commander and the 12thChief of Staff of theIsrael Defense Forces (IDF). He served in this position from 1983 to 1987, towards the end of thefirst Lebanon war and the establishment of theSouth Lebanon Security Belt.
Levy, born inTel Aviv to an Iraqi-Jewish family, was known by his armynicknameMoshe VaHetzi (Hebrew:משה וחצי ("Moshe and a half") because of his towering height, which was about 1.96 metres (6 ft 5 in).[2]
He was drafted into the army in 1954 and served in theGolani Brigade. After completing his officers' course, Levy joined theParatroopers Brigade. He fought in theSuez Crisis of 1956, during which he took part in theMitla Pass parachute drop.[3] From 1963 to 1967, he held a number of command positions in the Paratroopers Brigade, and became its operations officer. He was appointed commander of the School for Parachuting and Guerrilla Warfare. During theSix-Day War, Levy fought on the Sinai and Golan Heights fronts. He led the operation to conquerRas Sedr in the Sinai. In 1968, he was appointed deputy commander of the Reserve Paratroopers Brigade and in 1969, he became commander of the Jordan Valley Regional Brigade. During theWar of Attrition, his brigade pursued militant squads attempting to infiltrate from Jordan. He became commander of the Reserve Paratroopers Brigade in 1970.[4]
Levy was appointed head of theCentral Command staff in 1973 and served as head of the operations department of theGeneral Staff in 1974. In 1976, he commanded the 880th Reserve Armored Division, and was appointed head of Central Command in 1977, serving in this position until 1981. Levy served as Deputy Chief of Staff and head of the Operations Division from 1982 to 1983. During his tenure, theFirst Lebanon War broke out and he took an active part in the management of the war alongside Chief of StaffRafael Eitan.[4]
Levy was promoted to Chief of Staff in 1983, succeeding Eitan. During his tenure, he presided over the IDF withdrawal inLebanon in 1985 and oversaw the redeployment of Israeli troops and the creation of thesecurity zone in South Lebanon.
Levy helped to build the IDF ground forces branch.[3] He created two new infantry brigades: theNahal Brigade andGivati Brigade.[5] During his tenure as Chief of Staff, he presided overOperation Wooden Leg, the Israeli raid on thePLO headquarters inTunis and the airlifting of Ethiopian Jews to Israel inOperation Moses andOperation Joshua.[4]
While serving as Chief of Staff and after retiring from the army, Levy lived in KibbutzBeit Alfa in northern Israel. In his last years, he was the founding chairperson of the supervisory board of Highway 6, also known as theTrans-Israel Highway.
Levy was married twice and was survived by five children and five grandchildren.
In 2002, Levy suffered a stroke and was hospitalized atSheba Medical Center. He was left with limited mobility and relied on a wheelchair, but continued to remain in the public eye. On January 1, 2008, Levy suffered a massive stroke and was hospitalized atHaEmek Medical Center inAfula, and died eight days later of abrain aneurysm.[5] He was buried at Kibbutz Beit Alpha. His funeral was attended by government officials and hundreds who knew and worked with him. Eight generals served as his pallbearers.
In a sketch by theHaGashash HaHiver comedy trio, Moshe Levy is referred to asMusa Wanus (Moshe and a half inArabic).
In 2008, theIsrael Coins and Medals Corporation produced a set of three medals (ingold,silver, andtombac) with his portrait.[6]
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