Eliyahu Lankin

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Eliyahu Lankin
Date of birth 25 September 1914
Place of birth Russia
Year of Aliyah 1933
Date of death 10 August 1994
Knesset(s) 1st
Party Herut

Eliyahu Lankin (Hebrew: אליהו לנקין‎, born 25 September 1914, died 10 August 1994) was a Revisionist Zionist activist, Irgun member and an Israeli politician.

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[edit] Biography

Lankin was born in Russia, and moved with his family to Manchuria at the age of three in the wake of the October Revolution. He studied at the Russian High School in Harbin. At the age of 16, he joined Betar and immigrated to Eretz Israel three years later. He served in the Betar companies and in 1934 joined the Irgun. He was a member of Menachem Begin's General Headquarters, and was in charge of alighting illegal immigrants. In May 1944, he was appointed Commander of the Jerusalem District. He took part in the attack on the District British Intelligence in Jerusalem (14 July 1944). In December 1944 he was arrested by the British as a result of informing by the Haganah and was exiled to Africa. After several attempts, he succeeded - the only one of 107 prisoners[1] - in escaping from the camp in Eritrea on November 10, 1945. Eventually, he arrived in Paris in January 1947 and was appointed commander of the Irgun headquarters in Europe. He commanded the Altalena, which he brought to Israel. After coming ashore, he was arrested by the Israeli government and was kept in administrative detention for two months, along with four other Irgun commanders.[2]

On release, he joined the IDF, graduated from an officer's course, and was a battalion commander.[2] He served as a member of the first Knesset, representing Herut. Later, he studied law at the Hebrew University, and was certified as a lawyer in 1954. After the Likud's rise to power, he was appointed ambassador to South Africa in the years 1981-1985.[3]

[edit] Bibliography

  • The Story of the Captain of the Altalena (1974 autobiography) (Hebrew)

[edit] References

  1. ^ Tesfai, Alemseged. "A Bit of Eritrean History at Bridport, UK", 2002-08-11. Retrieved on 2007-12-27. 
  2. ^ a b Eliyahu Lankin. etzel. Retrieved on 2007-12-27.
  3. ^ Reuters. "Israeli Refuses to Take Envoy Post in London", New York Times, 1983-02-26. Retrieved on 2007-12-27. 

[edit] External links

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